Disease Prevention

Recalled Products:

• Organic walnut halves and pieces sold in bulk bins at natural food and co-op stores

Please see attached link for full list of recalled foods.

Recommendations:

• Do not eat any recalled products. Throw them away of return them to where you bought them.
• Use extra care in cleaning and sanitizing any surfaces and containers that may have come in contact with this product.
• Contact your healthcare provider if you think you may have symptoms of an E. coli infection after eating organic walnuts.

Recalled Products:

• Ground Cinnamon Products

Please see attached link for full list of recalled foods.

Recommendations:

• Do not buy, eat, sell, or serve recalled ground cinnamon products because they may contain lead
• Parents and caregivers of children who may have eaten recalled products should contact the child’s healthcare provider about getting a blood test for lead and further evaluation

Be aware of a confirmed case of measles in Spokane County.

• As of February 20, 2024, investigators have identified 1 lab-confirmed measles case in an unvaccinated adult resident of Spokane County.
• The case was exposed to the measles virus while traveling outside the United States and began isolating upon recognition of initial measles-like symptoms.
• Symptom (rash) onset date for this case was February 15th and isolation ended on February 20th.
  • Please see Health Alert for known public exposure locations that have been identified during the infectious period.

Recommendations:

• Immediately report suspected measles cases to Whitman County Public Health On-Duty Officer 24/7 at (509) 595-4834.
• Immediately isolate patients with suspected measles.

The flu virus claimed the life of one Whitman County resident - Whitman County’s first flu-related death this season,
according to Whitman County Public Health. Our thoughts are with the family during this difficult time. We encourage
the public to take steps to protect themselves and their loved ones from the flu and flu-related complications.

Recalled Products:

• Food products Associated with Dairy Products from Rizo Lopez Foods, Inc.
• Dole Fresh Vegetables, Inc. Salad Kits

Please see attached link for full list of recalled foods.

Recommendations:

• Do not eat any recalled products. Throw them away of return them to where you bought them.
• Clean the refrigerator, containers, and surfaces that may have touched the recalled products. Listeria can survive in the refrigerator and can easily spread to other food and surfaces.
• Call a healthcare provider right away if you have these symptoms after eating recalled products:
  • Pregnant people usually have fever, muscle aches, and tiredness.
  • People who are not pregnant usually have fever, muscle aches, and tiredness. They may also get headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or seizures.

Recalled Products:

• WanaBana brand apple cinnamon fruit purée pouches
• Schnucks brand cinnamon-flavored applesauce pouches
• Weis brand cinnamon applesauce pouches

Recommendations:

• Do not buy, eat, sell, or serve recalled cinnamon applesauce pouch products because they may contain lead and chromium
• Parents and caregivers of children who may have eaten recalled products should contact the child’s healthcare provider about getting a blood test for lead and further evaluation

Be aware of an active measles outbreak investigation in Clark and Wahkiakum Counties.

• As of January 10, 2024, investigators have identified 3 lab-confirmed and 3 epidemiologically linked measles cases in unvaccinated adults.
• No known public exposure locations have been identified.

Recommendations:

• Immediately report suspected measles cases to Whitman County Public Health 24/7 at (509) 595-4834.
• Immediately isolate patients with suspected measles.

Recalled Products:

• Fratelli Beretta brand Antipasto Gran Beretta was sold at Costco in a 24-oz. twin-pack (two 12-oz. trays).

• Busseto brand Charcuterie Sampler was sold at Sam's Club in an 18-oz. twin-pack (two 9-oz. trays).

Any lot code associated with either product is potentially contaminated.

Shigella bacteria causes a gastrointestinal infection called shigellosis. Shigella can spread easily from one person to another via fecal-oral transmission. It can spread 2 weeks after diarrhea has subsided due to bacterial shedding in feces. Shigella is highly contagious; a very small inoculum (10 to 200 organisms) is sufficient to cause infection.

Spokane County is currently experiencing a community-wide increase in shigellosis, with case counts higher than what is typically observed. Additionally, since 10/30/2023, five hospitalized cases of shigellosis among persons experiencing homelessness (PEH) have been reported in Spokane County. Spokane Regional Health District is currently working to identify specific settings or scenarios where transmission is occurring. Due to the distribution of cases, we believe there are likely others within the community of PEH with shigellosis who have not been identified.