For the second time in a month, raw sprouts are making people sick. The Washington State Department of Health announced this week that 16 people across Washington, Montana, and Idaho have been infected with Salmonella linked to broccoli sprouts from Evergreen Fresh Sprouts, LLC, an Idaho producer. Thirteen of those cases are in Washington, and two people have been hospitalized. Illnesses started between July 7 and August 18, and health officials say the sprouts were sold in plastic clamshells and bags at grocery stores and food co-ops, and served in restaurants.
Here's the part worth paying attention to: as of this writing, there is no recall. The product hasn't been pulled. Washington's health department is telling people directly — do not eat broccoli sprouts from Evergreen Fresh Sprouts. Throw them away or return them to the store.
Yes — and that outbreak is separate. The CDC updated its investigation on September 1 into E. coli and Salmonella infections tied to recalled alfalfa sprouts from a Minnesota distributor: 55 people sick across 15 states, four hospitalized. Different producer, different pathogen strains, different states. Two unrelated sprouts outbreaks running at the same time isn't a coincidence so much as a pattern — sprouts are grown in exactly the warm, wet conditions bacteria love, and no rinse at home fixes that. The FDA has flagged raw sprouts as a higher-risk food for years.
If you've been through a Salmonella infection — or any bad GI stretch — you already know recovery doesn't end when the diarrhea does. Frequent urgent trips to the bathroom, acidic stool, and constant wiping leave the skin around the anus raw, and all that straining and irritation is a classic trigger for hemorrhoid flare-ups. If you already have hemorrhoids, a week of diarrhea can turn quiet ones loud.
To be clear: nothing below treats or prevents Salmonella or any infection. That's a job for your doctor. But once the infection is handled, you can make the recovery a lot more comfortable:
Dry toilet paper on inflamed skin makes everything worse. Rinse with water where you can, pat dry, and use a gentle cleansing lotion instead of scrubbing — the goal is clean without friction.
A 10–15 minute sitz bath in warm water, once or twice a day, is one of the oldest and best-supported comfort measures for an irritated bottom. A sitz bath soak makes it a routine worth keeping.
For temporary relief of hemorrhoid pain, burning, and itching, a cream like Advanced Hemorrhoid Cream — with 5% lidocaine to numb and phenylephrine to reduce swelling — can take the edge off while your body does the actual healing. If pain is the main problem, a straight 5% lidocaine numbing cream is the simpler tool.
Ease back into fiber gradually, drink more water than feels necessary, and don't strain — your bowels and your bottom both need a few unhurried days.
Two sprouts outbreaks at once is a good reason to know exactly what's in your crisper drawer. Toss the risky stuff, see a doctor if you've got symptoms, and be kind to the parts of you that took the worst of it.
This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Revivol-XR products provide temporary relief of hemorrhoid symptoms only; they do not treat, cure, or prevent salmonellosis, diarrhea, or any disease. Consult a healthcare professional for diagnosis and treatment.