Isabella The First

Consumers should practice safety tips when cooking meat to avoid E. coli ...

GENESEE COUNTY, Michigan — Local residents were among those in the state who were sickened by ground beef tainted with a potentially deadly form of E. coli bacteria.

The state Department of Community Health on Wednesday issued a public health alert for Genesee, Isabella, Lapeer and Sanilac counties, which have had five confirmed and four probable cases of the illness between July 18-30.

Six people were hospitalized, but all have been released, according to a news release.

The Genesee County Health Department could not be immediately reached for comment on how many of the cases were in Genesee County.

The illnesses were linked to the consumption of ground beef from McNees Meats and Wholesale LLC, a meat processor and retailer in North Branch, according to the release. The meat was also sold to restaurants in Lapeer, Armada and North Branch.

James McCurtis, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Community Health, said this is the first outbreak of E. coli the department has seen this year in regards to contaminated meat.

“So far this year we’re pretty OK when it comes to E. coli. ... We’ve had a few of them in the past years,” he said. “A lot of the time (contaminated meat) will happen because the machines that they use to manufacture the meat might be contaminated.”

The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced Tuesday McNees is recalling approximately 360 pounds of ground beef products that may be contaminated with the E. coli.

The items being recalled are 10-pound bags of McNees Ground Beef Bulk. Each clear plastic bag, produced on July 15 and 21, has an establish number “EST. 33971,” according to a notice on the USDA website .

The particular type of bacterium, E. coli 0157, is potentially deadly. It can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration and in the most severe cases, kidney failure. The very young, seniors and people with weak immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illnesses, according to the website.

Jennifer Holton, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development public information officer, said consumers should not eat the recalled meat they have in their freezers. They should contact the company about what to do with it, she said.

Persons who are ill with these symptoms and have consumed ground beef recently should consult their doctor and ask about being tested for an E. coli infection, Holton said.

Misha and Isabella: The First Generation » Cycles and Revolutions

I began this documentary process by interviewing my grandmother, going back 2+ generations to the Russian Revolution, because I wanted to know where I come from and how that shapes my identity.  I’ve answered most of the questions I had about the past and the present, but I also wanted to know about the future.  What effects, if any, have been passed down to the next generation?

Since I don’t have my own children yet, I turned to my niece and nephew to provide a perspective on growing up Jewish as part of the first wave of Jews descended from Soviet Russia, but born in America.

Also, they’re really cute.

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