13 sick, 8 hospitalized after E. coli outbreak tied to recalled raw milk cheese

Several raw milk cheese products are under a nationwide recall after federal health officials linked the products to a potentially deadly strain of Escherichia coli, or E.

Cases and health response

Coli.

Sierra Nevada Cheese Company of Willows, California, is voluntarily recalling all of its Graziers Raw Milk Cheese currently in distribution because of potential contamination with E. coli O26.

Raw milk cheese is made from unpasteurized milk that has not been heated to kill all bacteria.

To date, 13 people across nine states have contracted E. coli infections after consuming the recalled cheese, with more than half of those sickened being children 5 years old and younger.

Of those hospitalized, three individuals developed Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome — a severe and potentially fatal illness characterized by red cell breakdown, low platelet count and renal failure.

Health investigation

It's a Shiga toxin-producing bacterial strain that can cause "serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems," according to a Tuesday announcement from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Eight people required hospitalization after falling ill, an outbreak investigation report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control says.