E. Coli outbreak has southern states on alert

GEORGIA -- An outbreak of E. Coli in several southern states on alert.

Already more than a dozen people have gotten sick from the disease and 21-month-old girl has died.

Officials are looking into the source of the outbreak. The largest outbreak is in Atlanta with five reported cases.

"We know that these cases are all linked and that would suggest that there was a common source somewhere along the way. We just don't know where," Dr. J. Patrick O'Neal of the Georgia Department of Public Health said.

It is a race against the clock according to Bill Marler, a food safety attorney.

"They want to figure out what the product is, and get it out of the market before it sickens or kills anyone, " Marler said.

Right now, there is no concrete evidence for the source, however the likely culprit is undercooked beef.