New York: A bacterium has been found in aromatherapy sprays manufactured in India and sold in the US that sickened four people, killing two of them earlier this year, the US Public Health Agency has said.
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that the laboratory test identified the bacteria burkholderia pseudomallei in aromatherapy spray ‘Better Home & Gardens Lavender and Chamomile Essential Oil Infused Aromatherapy Room Spray with Gem.’
It’s the same type of bacteria that sickened four people in the United States earlier this year. The CDC said the spray was found on October 6 at the home of a Georgia resident who became ill. melioidosis At the end of July.
“CDC is continuing to test to see if the genetic fingerprint of the bacteria in the bottle matches the bacteria identified in four patients — one each in Georgia, Kansas, Texas and Minnesota. Two out of four patients died.” Done,” the agency said.
The CDC said that since the agency began receiving samples in May, it has been testing patients’ blood samples as well as soil, water and consumer products in and around four patients’ homes. . A sample of Better Homes and Gardens spray tested positive this week.
“The genetic fingerprints of the bacteria that sickened the four patients are similar to strains commonly found in South Asia; the aromatherapy spray was made in India,” it said.
Contaminated spray about 55 . was sold on walmart in stores and on Walmart’s website between February and October 21, 2021, when the retail giant removed the remaining bottles of this spray and related products from store shelves and its website.
NS consumer product safety commission And Walmart also issued a recall for lavender and chamomile room spray and five other fragrances in the same product line. Investigations are ongoing to see whether other related fragrances and brands may pose a risk.
The CDC is recommending that anyone who has this aromatherapy spray at home stop using this product immediately and keep the bottle in a clean, clean zip-top bag double bagged and a small cardboard box so that the bag Stored in and boxed product is returnable. Walmart Store.
CDC is coordinating with state health departments in Kansas, Minnesota and Texas to try to determine whether the other three patients may have also used this or similar products.
“Our hearts are with the families that have been affected by this situation,” said inger daemon, MD, miles per hour, director of the CDC’s Division of High-Outcome Pathogens and Pathology, which manages melioidosis.
“At CDC we are deeply concerned to see these serious related diseases spread across time and geography. This is why our scientists continue to work tirelessly to try to find a possible source of melioidosis infection in these patients. We hope this work can help protect others who may have used this spray.”
Melioidosis is a rare but serious disease in the United States, with about 12 cases reported annually. Worldwide, most cases occur in people who live in or travel to areas where the bacteria occurs naturally, such as parts of South and Southeast Asia and northern Australia. It is also occasionally found in the Americas (eg, Brazil, Mexico, Puerto Rico). Melioidosis causes a wide range of symptoms that can be confused with other common illnesses such as the flu or cold.
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that the laboratory test identified the bacteria burkholderia pseudomallei in aromatherapy spray ‘Better Home & Gardens Lavender and Chamomile Essential Oil Infused Aromatherapy Room Spray with Gem.’
It’s the same type of bacteria that sickened four people in the United States earlier this year. The CDC said the spray was found on October 6 at the home of a Georgia resident who became ill. melioidosis At the end of July.
“CDC is continuing to test to see if the genetic fingerprint of the bacteria in the bottle matches the bacteria identified in four patients — one each in Georgia, Kansas, Texas and Minnesota. Two out of four patients died.” Done,” the agency said.
The CDC said that since the agency began receiving samples in May, it has been testing patients’ blood samples as well as soil, water and consumer products in and around four patients’ homes. . A sample of Better Homes and Gardens spray tested positive this week.
“The genetic fingerprints of the bacteria that sickened the four patients are similar to strains commonly found in South Asia; the aromatherapy spray was made in India,” it said.
Contaminated spray about 55 . was sold on walmart in stores and on Walmart’s website between February and October 21, 2021, when the retail giant removed the remaining bottles of this spray and related products from store shelves and its website.
NS consumer product safety commission And Walmart also issued a recall for lavender and chamomile room spray and five other fragrances in the same product line. Investigations are ongoing to see whether other related fragrances and brands may pose a risk.
The CDC is recommending that anyone who has this aromatherapy spray at home stop using this product immediately and keep the bottle in a clean, clean zip-top bag double bagged and a small cardboard box so that the bag Stored in and boxed product is returnable. Walmart Store.
CDC is coordinating with state health departments in Kansas, Minnesota and Texas to try to determine whether the other three patients may have also used this or similar products.
“Our hearts are with the families that have been affected by this situation,” said inger daemon, MD, miles per hour, director of the CDC’s Division of High-Outcome Pathogens and Pathology, which manages melioidosis.
“At CDC we are deeply concerned to see these serious related diseases spread across time and geography. This is why our scientists continue to work tirelessly to try to find a possible source of melioidosis infection in these patients. We hope this work can help protect others who may have used this spray.”
Melioidosis is a rare but serious disease in the United States, with about 12 cases reported annually. Worldwide, most cases occur in people who live in or travel to areas where the bacteria occurs naturally, such as parts of South and Southeast Asia and northern Australia. It is also occasionally found in the Americas (eg, Brazil, Mexico, Puerto Rico). Melioidosis causes a wide range of symptoms that can be confused with other common illnesses such as the flu or cold.
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