In the United States, carrots infected with E. coli cause one death and dozens of illnesses

POISONING – It is an epidemic of E. coli due not to the consumption of meat or fish, but of organic vegetables. In the United States, 39 people were contaminated by this bacteria after eating whole carrots and “baby carrots” sold by the Grimmway Farms brand, based in California.

According to the American version of HuffPost15 patients were hospitalized in 18 different states and one person died.

Poisoning cases across the country

These organic carrots were sold in bags under several brands, themselves marketed in different brands, such as Trader Joe's and Nature's Promise. Most of those infected reside in New York, Minnesota and Washington, as well as California and Oregon.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the US federal agency responsible for public health, all contaminated carrot bags, with an expiration date of November 12, have been removed from the shelves. The CDC nevertheless invites consumers to throw away any suspect bags of carrots that they have in their home to avoid any further contamination.

Raw foods particularly affected

This massive E. coli poisoning is the second to shake the country in a few weeks. Last October, more than a hundred customers of the McDonald's chain were infected after consuming chopped onions.

Transmitted through contaminated foods such as undercooked meat, raw milk dairy products and raw vegetables, the bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli) causes abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting and fever between 3 and 4 days after ingestion. Although in most cases recovery is spontaneous, the infection can sometimes lead to a severe form, particularly in young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.

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