On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that nine people in Minnesota and Wisconsin have got fallen ill during the most recent E. coli outbreak. Two of them have been admitted to hospital.

In River Falls in Wisconsin, the outbreak has been linked to Alfalfa sprouts from Jack & The Green Sprouts.

In an announcement regarding the outbreak, the CDC said, “Of the eight ill people who were interviewed, all eight reported eating or possibly eating alfalfa sprouts in the week before illness started”.

Symptoms of illness can be noticed two to eight days after consumption of contaminated food items. The symptoms include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting. In most cases, people recover from the illness within a week.

Some individuals could also suffer from a severe illness, known as hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, which may put their life in danger, though most people recover in some weeks.

The earliest symptoms of the sickened individuals were reported on January 17 and the latest outbreak began on February 8. The sickened ones belong to the age group of 17 to 84 years, and 62% of them were women.

The FDA and the CDC have been working with state health officials to carry forward their investigation into the outbreak.

The CDC has suggested that consumers should avoid consuming alfalfa sprouts from Jack & The Green Sprouts. It also warned restaurants to stop serving the contaminated sprouts. The agency has also warned, “Like any fresh produce, consumed raw or lightly cooked, sprouts may contain foodborne illness-causing bacteria. Warm and humid conditions used for sprouting are also ideal for growth of bacteria, including Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli. Any bacteria present can multiply dramatically during sprouting process”.

The outbreak isn’t believed to be associated with the ongoing multi-state salmonella outbreak related to alfalfa sprouts that belong to Sweetwater Farms in Kansas.