The room spray was sold at Walmart and made in India.
Deadly weapons, murderous intruders, and awful infections like Anthrax and the bubonic plague are culprits that may come to mind if you were to imagine the most deadly dangers you could possibly face that would cause a sudden end to your life. (And maybe a violent car accident, or being found in the midst of unexpected, belligerent warfare). Room spray would most probably be quite far from your list. You may want to reconsider this line of thinking, however.
According to news reports, lavender scented room spray sold at Walmart sometime in 2021 has actually caused the death of at least two people in the US. (This particular room spray isn’t sold in Canada). In a tragic turn of events, a 53-year old woman from Kansas and a five-year old boy from Georgia both died as a result of severe infections that developed from being exposed to the otherwise benign household product.
Reports show other individuals also suffered from debilitating illness but survived following exposure to the tainted spray, leaving health officials scrambling to locate the source.
How a room spray resulted in death
The room spray at the center of the tragedies was Better Home & Gardens Essential Oil Infused Aromatherapy Room Spray with Gemstones. It’s the type of spray you might use to freshen the air in your living room, or spray on blankets and sheets for a pleasant aroma. Walmart recalled the spray from its stores once the source of the problem was determined, but not before intense and disastrous injury was inflicted.
The spray was made in India and somehow became contaminated with Burkholderia pseudomallei. This isa bacteria that can cause something called melioidosis in the human body. Melioidosis is an uncommon infection. It’s estimated there are only about 165,000 cases of human melioidosis each year across the entire world.
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It has a huge death rate, however. Of these 165,000 people about 89,000 die. The infection is usually known to be obtained from interacting with contaminated soil and water in hot places like tropical or subtropical environments. The infection usually happens to people who have traveled abroad.
What remains a mystery is how the deadly bacteria got inside room spray sold at Walmart.
The 53 woman from Kansas who fell ill from the spray developed breathing problems that landed her in the hospital during March 2021. Within nine days she died from septic shock.
The 5 year-old boy from Georgia who fell sick also have COVID-19 at the time, but his death was determined to be caused by the spray. The fact that he had COVID-19 at the time exacerbated his symptoms, experts said. The boy was rushed to hospital and died four days later after experiencing vomiting, a fever, swollen tongue, and a stroke.
The symptoms of a melioidosis infection
Melioidosis can have symptoms similar to the flu, or a cold, and so it can be difficult at first to identify an infection. The symptoms can include many ailments such as a localized infection with swelling, a lung infection, an infection in your bloodstream, fever, weight loss, and more. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a full list here.
Get medical help immediately if you think you could have melioidosis. It could save your life.
photo credits: ESstock/Shutterstock.com
