( The Hill ) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned on Tuesday of an E. coli outbreak linked to organic walnuts sold in bulk that has so far infected 12 people in California and Washington.
Seven people have been hospitalized and two have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a dangerous kidney disease, the CDC said. There have been no deaths reported.
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Almost all of the people infected purchased walnuts in bulk that were originally supplied by Gibson Farms, Inc, which has since recalled the products.
The nuts were sold at stores or food co-ops across 19 states: Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming, per the Food and Drug Administration. Only two — California and Washington — have reported illnesses, with six cases in each state recorded as of Tuesday, the CDC said.