State officials yesterday continued their quarantine of raw, unpasteurized milk products produced by Organic Pastures of Fresno because four children, including two 8-year-olds in San Diego County, became ill after consuming them.
Stool samples from three of the four youngsters revealed E. coli 0157:H7, which can cause severe diarrhea and other potentially fatal complications.
Two of the patients – a 7-year-old boy in Riverside County and a 10-year-old girl in San Bernardino County – remain hospitalized at Loma Linda University Medical Center.
Mark McAfee, the owner of Organic Pastures, last week said he was convinced the children did not acquire 0157:H7 through his company’s products, blaming tainted spinach instead. Tainted spinach is currently causing a national E. coli outbreak.