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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched an investigation into an outbreak of E. coli linked to a mixture of raw cakes that is said to have infected several people, some of whom have been hospitalized.
The CDC said in a statement on Wednesday that there had been at least 16 people infected with E. coli, all girls and women ages 2 to 73, in 12 states.
Seven of those infected with the E. coli have been hospitalized, a person developing a form of kidney failure known as hemolytic uremic syndrome, according to the CDC.
Health officials said no deaths linked to the epidemic had been recorded.
According to interviews by state and local health officials, six of the eight infected people interviewed said they tasted or ate raw dough made from various brands of cake mix.
The CDC said the actual number of infections could be higher, given that people can recover without medical attention or not be tested for E. coli and it typically takes three to four weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an epidemic.
The reported cases, with onset dates ranging from February 26 to June 21, have been found in states across the country including Washington, Oregon, Nebraska, Iowa, Virginia and Massachusetts.
The CDC said this week that everyone should avoid eating raw cake batter, including store-bought flour and cake mixes, both of which can contain E. coli when not cooked. , resulting in food poisoning if consumed.
Symptoms of an E. coli infection can include bloody diarrhea, a fever above 102 degrees, excessive vomiting and dehydration, according to the CDC.
The CDC on Wednesday gave instructions on the safe handling of raw foods, noting that while “flour doesn’t look like raw food,” it usually does and “bacteria are only killed when the foods made of flour are cooked ”.
Raw flour was previously linked to two outbreaks of E. coli in 2016 and 2019, infecting more than 80 people, the CDC said.
The recent outbreak comes as the The Food Safety and Food Inspection Department of the Department of Agriculture said Thursday that more than 295,000 pounds of raw beef products from meat supplier Greater Omaha Packing had been recalled due to contamination concerns with E. coli.
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