Two from suburbs sickened with E. coli linked to flour recall

Two suburban residents have been infected with a strain of E. coli linked to recalled flour produced by General Mills.

The afflicted, one from suburban Cook County and the other from McHenry County, became ill recently after consuming the flour, said Illinois Public Health Department spokeswoman Melaney Arnold. The department is not specifying what towns the patients live in. Two other people in Illinois, one in Chicago and one in Brown County, also became sick, officials said.

Nationwide, 38 people in 20 states have been diagnosed with the bacterial infection as a result flour produced at the General Mills facility in Kansas City, Missouri, under the brand names Gold Medal Flour, Gold Medal Wondra Flour and Signature Kitchens Flour, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the agency, the cases occurred between Dec. 21, 2015 and May 3, and about half of those who became sick reported making something homemade with flour at some point before becoming ill. No one has died from the infection.

On Tuesday, General Mills issued a recall for several flour products that have been sold at stores including Safeway, Albertsons, Jewel, Shaws, Vons, United, Randalls and Acme. The exact product recalls can be found at www.generalmills.com/flour/.

"As a leading provider of flour for 150 years, we felt it was important to not only recall the product and replace it for consumers if there was any doubt, but also to take this opportunity to remind our consumers how to safely handle flour," Liz Nordlie, president of General Mills Baking division, said in the recall announcement.

People should check their pantry for recalled flour products, throw them away and wash the containers before reusing them, the Illinois Department of Public Health advised Thursday.

"Don't eat or play with raw dough or batters or allow children to do so. Even tasting a small amount could make you sick," the advisory states. "Flour and raw eggs in uncooked doughs and batters can be contaminated with germs. Even doughs and batters made without eggs can be contaminated. Bake and cook all doughs and batters according to recipes or packaging before eating."

Symptoms of E. coli include bloody diarrhea and severe abdominal cramps a few days after being exposed, officials said. Children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems may be at greater risk for more complications such as kidney failure.