If you live in Washington and happen to have PCC Community Market brand yogurt in your fridge, you’ll want to throw it away immediately due to the potential for E. coli contamination. To date, there have been nearly 11 E. Coli cases in Walla Walla County and surrounding areas. According to KIRO 7 News, one 7-year old girl “suffered a severe kidney disease known as Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome” as a result.
The yogurt in question is manufactured by Pure Eire Dairy and, naturally, a lawsuit against the company is already in the works.
KIRO 7 news adds:
In all, 11 children have been hospitalized, six of them under the age of 10, one of them just a year old. Many have suffered severe kidney damage.
Marler says he is preparing a lawsuit against the dairy. He says the children will likely feel the effects of the damage to their kidneys for the rest of their lives.
“If enough of these nephrons, these filtering units are damaged,” said Marler, “in a sense your kidneys can wear out before their due date.”
The 7-year-old was released from Seattle Children’s Hospital on Friday. The status of the other children is unknown.
The first outbreak occurred in early March, with subsequent illnesses being reported through the end of April. It took some time, however, for officials to connect the dots and determine the source of the E. coli cases.
In an update on the situation, Pure Eire Dairy issued the following statement on their Facebook page earlier this week:
***UPDATE*** WSDA pulled 12 random yogurt samples from store shelves and all have come back with NO E. Coli. We will keep you posted.***
Notice of Recall on our Yogurt Products:
We regret to inform you that we have been contacted by the Washington State Department of Health due to a possible link between our yogurt products (Pure Eire and PCC brands) and possible E. Coli contamination. We are awaiting further testing information. However, out of an abundance of caution we are voluntarily recalling all of our yogurt products and halting yogurt production until further investigations are conducted.
As you are the reason we exist and your health is our greatest concern, we have asked our retail outlets to pull all of their yogurt inventory and halt all yogurt sales. We’re also advising you to discontinue consumption of any yogurt you may have on hand. We take any and all contamination concerns very seriously. Your health and safety have always been our primary concern.
We are so appreciative of your support over the years. We are committed to supplying you with the highest quality products possible and will keep you posted on the investigation process.
If you know us, you know we are beside ourselves at the moment. If you have any questions or concerns, Richard and I are here to answer them.
Per the CDC, common E. Coli symptoms include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea (often bloody), fever, and vomiting. While most people who catch E. Coli make a full recovery within a week, some infections can be life-threatening if not treated promptly.
