Walmart Recall: Deadly Bacteria Found In Aromatherapy Product

ACROSS TEXAS — Texas is among four states with rare bacterial infections that may be related to an aromatherapy room spray sold at Walmart, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A total of four cases of melioidosis in Texas, Georgia, Kansas and Minnesota may be linked to the product, Better Homes & Gardens Essential Oil Infused Aromatherapy Room Spray with Gemstones. Two people, including a child, have died, the CDC said.

Tests from the CDC found strains of the bacteria Burkholderia pseudomallei, which causes melioidosis, in the product.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Friday that Walmart was recalling roughly 3,900 bottles of the aromatherapy spray and offering refunds.

The CDC is advising consumers to stop using the product immediately and return it. Throwing away the product could still allow exposure to the bacteria, the CDC said. The CDC outlined a procedure for returning the product involving double bagging the bottle in clean, clear zip-top bags and placing it in a small cardboard box.

The CDC recommends that consumers who used the product "wash all linens or sheets that the product may have been sprayed" as well as "wipe down counters and surfaces that might have the spray on them" with undiluted household disinfectant.

Health officials also advise consumers wash their hands thoroughly after handling the product or cleaning items and surfaces that came into contact with the spray.

People may become infected both through open wounds or breathing in aerosolized droplets containing the bacteria.