OLYMPIA — Yogurt from PCC Community Market’s Pure Eire Dairy is likely to blame for the state’s E. coli outbreak, including both cases in Snohomish County.
If you have any in your refrigerator, throw it away, public health experts said Monday.
So far, 11 people statewide, six of whom are children under 10, have been infected with E. coli. Of the 11, seven have been hospitalized, and three have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a potentially deadly blood and kidney condition.
State health experts said there could be additional E. coli cases, but they don’t expect a huge increase.
It takes time to perform the genome sequencing required to confirm an E. coli case.
On Saturday, the Department of Health announced that one of Snohomish County’s two cases, which involve a woman in her 20s and a child under 10, was linked to the yogurt.
But the other case is likely connected to the outbreak, as well, state Department of Health epidemiologist Beth Melius said during a media briefing.
“It just has not gone through the whole genome sequencing yet,” she said.
Symptoms of an E. coli infection include diarrhea, stomach cramps and blood in the stool. There is usually no fever. If you notice symptoms, especially bloody diarrhea, contact your health care provider right away.
Most people recover in less than week, and cases can go unreported.
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