At least five people in Washington state sickened by E. coli linked to organic carrots

An E. coli outbreak linked to organic carrots has sickened at least five people in Washington state.

The Centers for Disease Control reports 39 people have been infected by the illness in 18 states.

Washington is one the hardest-hit states.

The CDC says between five and eight people became sick in three states:  Washington, New York and Minnesota.

The outbreak has resulted in 15 people being hospitalized and one person has died.

Authorities have linked the outbreak to organic carrots produced by one of the nation’s biggest carrot growers, Grimmway Farms.

The company has issued a recall of organic whole carrots and organic baby carrots that have been pulled from grocery stores, but might still be in your refrigerator.

The affected carrots could be labeled in a variety of different packages.

Here is a list of the different brand names of organic whole carrots being recalled:

ORGANIC WHOLE CARROTS RECALLED:

365, Bunny Luv, Cal-Organic, Compliments, Full Circle, Good & Gather, GreenWise, Marketside, Nature’s Promise, O-Organics, President’s Choice, Simple Truth, Trader Joe’s, Wegmans and Wholesome Pantry

Here is a list of the different brand names of the organic, cut-and-peeled baby carrots being recalled:

ORGANIC BABY CARROTS RECALLED:

365, Bunny Luv, Cal-Organic, Compliments, Full Circle, Good & Gather, GreenWise, Grimmway Farms, Marketside, Nature’s Promise, O-Organics, President’s Choice, Raley’s, Simple Truth, Sprouts, Trader Joe’s, Wegmans and Wholesome Pantry

The organic whole carrots would have been purchased between August 14^th and October 23^rd.

There are no “best-if-used-by” dates on the bags.

However, there are “best-if-used-by” dates printed on the bags of the organic baby carrots being recalled.  The affected packages would have been purchased between September 11^th and November 12^th.

If you have carrots in a package from any of the brands listed above, health officials urge you not to eat or use them.  The say you should throw them away, and clean and sanitize surfaces they touched.

Some of those who have been exposed to the E. coli bacteria may not be aware of it.

It usually takes three to four weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak.

Health officials say the true number of those infected is also likely much higher than the number reported.

That’s because a lot of people who recover and don’t seek medical care are not tested.

CDC officials say most people infected with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli experience severe stomach cramps, diarrhea (often bloody), and vomiting.

Symptoms usually start around three to four days after swallowing the bacteria.

Most people recover without treatment after five to seven days.

But some might develop serious kidney problems (hemolytic uremic syndrome, also called HUS) which would require hospitalization.

For more information about E. coli, see:  About Escherichia coli Infection.

If you have severe symptoms, authorities recommend seeing a medical professional and telling them about what you ate.

Thomas Brock is a weekend anchor, editor and reporter for KIRO Newsradio.