Shasta County Resident Infected With E.Coli, Possibly from Cookie Dough

THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION WAS PROVIDED BY THE SHASTA COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH:

SHASTA COUNTY RESIDENT DIAGNOSED WITH E. COLI
Consumers advised to throw away cookie dough products

SHASTA COUNTY - Consumers are warned not to eat Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough due to the risk of contamination with E. coli, a bacterium that causes food borne illness, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

A Shasta County resident is one of two Californians and 66 people nationwide who have been diagnosed with a specific strain of E. coli since March. A study of these 66 people by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed the link to the cookie dough.

The local patient was treated in an emergency room and has recovered. This type of E. coli illness is generally not spread from person
to person.

E. coli O157:H7 causes abdominal cramping, vomiting and a diarrheal illness, often with bloody stools.
Most healthy adults can recover completely within a week.

Young children and the elderly are at highest risk for developing a serious complication called Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, which can lead to serious kidney damage and even death.

Nestlé USA initiated the recall Thursday because of a possible link between reported illnesses caused
by E. coli and the consumption of uncooked cookie dough.

Refrigerated and frozen Nestlé Toll House cookie dough products should be thrown away as a precautionary measure, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). More information about the recall is available on the FDA's website.