North Idaho woman had E. coli

A North Idaho woman is among at least nine people in the Northwest sickened by an outbreak of E. coli infection linked to ground beef.

State and federal health officials are urging consumers to search their refrigerators and freezers for packages of the potentially tainted beef. The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a health alert Thursday for 41,305 pounds of ground beef produced by Interstate Meats of Clackamas, Ore., and sold under the brand name “Northwest Finest.”

The Idaho woman, who is in her 30s, became ill in early August and has since recovered, according to state Department of Health and Welfare officials. Six people in Washington and two people in Oregon also became ill after eating the meat. The Washington cases included one child and five adults in King, Island and Clallam counties. Two people were hospitalized and have since recovered.

The alert was issued by the U.S. Food Safety Inspection Service and includes the following lot numbers:

“16-ounce packages of “Northwest Finest 7 percent Fat, Natural Ground Beef.” The label bears a UPC code of 752907 600127

“16-ounce packages of “Northwest Finest 10 percent Fat, Organic Ground Beef.” No UPC code is available.

Each package also bears the establishment number “Est. 965” inside the USDA mark of inspection and a sell-by date between Aug. 1 and Aug. 11.

The ground beef products were produced between July 19 and July 30 and distributed in Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Alaska by several major retailers. The products should no longer be for sale on store shelves, but consumers should check frozen packages of ground beef and discard the meat if it matches the products.

E. coli 0157:H7 is a bacteria found in the guts of cattle that can cause mild to severe illness in humans, including severe kidney complications. Symptoms include abdominal cramping, vomiting and diarrhea that may contain blood.

Cooking all ground meet to 165 degrees F will kill the bacteria. Consumers should use a food thermometer to check for internal temperature. Simply cooking hamburger until it is brown is not adequate.

In addition, home cooks should wash hands with soap and hot water for at least 20 seconds after handling raw meat. Do not let raw meat or meat juices touch other foods or work surfaces. Beware of cross-contamination of meat and vegetables.