Sarah Nagem and Thomas Goldsmith of the Raleigh News & Observer report that health officials in North Carolina have upped the number of potential illnesses associated with a current E. coli outbreak to 21. Yesterday, Wake County and state health officials suggested that many of the illnesses were linked to visiting the state fair. It is unclear from reports whether additional cases are also linked to visiting the event.
Update: WRAL is reporting that six of the additional suspected cases are in Sampson County, where one child is hospitalized. Four other suspected cases are in Wake County, while Durham County and Franklin County have one each.