05/01/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/01/2024 10:13
For immediate release: April 30, 2024 (24-047)
Contact: DOH Communications
OLYMPIA - The Washington State Department of Health (DOH), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advise people to stop eating organic walnut halves and pieces sold in bulk at several stores in Washington because of possible contamination with E. coli bacteria.
At least 12 people in California and Washington state have been infected with E. coli bacteria after eating bulk organic walnut halves and pieces. Six of those people live in Washington. No one has died from their infection.
What to do:
E. coli bacteria can cause severe or even life-threatening infections, usually starting three or four days after eating or drinking something contaminated. Symptoms include diarrhea (which is often bloody), severe abdominal pain, and vomiting. Most people get better in five to seven days, but children 5 years or younger are at higher risk of severe illness.
Contact your healthcare provider if you ate a food that contains the recalled walnuts and develop symptoms of E. coli infection.
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