Luxury detergent products recalled in Canada over risk of bacteria exposure, 11 infections reported

A slew of luxury detergent brand The Laundress products have been recalled in Canada due to the risk of bacteria exposure with as many as 11 people reporting infections, according to Health Canada.
Health Canada said in a notice Thursday the recall involves The Laundress brand laundry detergent, fabric conditioner, and household cleaning products. The affected products were sold in kits, as part of bundles and individually.
"Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled product and contact The Laundress for reimbursement," the national health agency warned.
The affected products may contain bacteria, including Burkholderia cepacia complex, which according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is a group of bacteria commonly found in soil and water and are often resistant to common antibiotics. B. cepacia can cause severe respiratory infections, especially in people suffering from cystic fibrosis.
The products may also contain a variety of species of Pseudomonas, another type of bacteria commonly found in soil and water. According to the CDC, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which causes the most infections among Pseudomonas in humans, can spread in health-care settings through exposure to contaminated water or soil, as well as person-to-person through contaminated hands, equipment and surfaces.
"People with weakened immune systems, external medical devices, and underlying lung conditions who are exposed to the bacteria face a risk of serious infection that may require medical treatment," Health Canada said. "The bacteria can enter the body if inhaled, or through the eyes or a break in the skin. People with healthy immune systems are usually not affected by the bacteria."
Health Canada said The Laundress is aware of at least 11 consumers who have reported Pseudomonas infections and is investigating whether there is any connection to the reported illnesses and the recalled products. Nearly 230,000 affected products were sold in Canada and another 8,000,000 in the U.S.
Last month, The Laundress issued a recall in the U.S. advising customers to stop using all of its products immediately over the same concerns.
The Laundress recall notice by CTV News on Scribd
COVID-19 COVERAGE
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Why wasn't the suspected Chinese spy balloon shot down over Canada?
Critics say the U.S. and Canada had ample time to shoot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon as it drifted across North America. The alleged surveillance device initially approached North America near Alaska's Aleutian Islands on Jan 28. According to officials, it crossed into Canadian airspace on Jan. 30, travelling above the Northwest Territories, Alberta and Saskatchewan before re-entering the U.S. on Jan 31.

Thieves cut huge hole in Ottawa restaurant wall to get at jewelry store next door
An Ottawa restaurateur says he was shocked to find his restaurant broken into and even more surprised to discover a giant hole in the wall that led to the neighbouring jewelry store.
Rescuers scramble in Turkiye, Syria after quake kills 4,000
Rescue workers and civilians passed chunks of concrete and household goods across mountains of rubble Monday, moving tons of wreckage by hand in a desperate search for survivors trapped by a devastating earthquake.
New details emerge ahead of Trudeau-premiers' health-care meeting
As preparations are underway for the anticipated health-care 'working meeting' between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Canada's premiers on Tuesday, new details are emerging about how the much-anticipated federal-provincial gathering will unfold.
Quebec minister 'surprised' asylum seekers given free bus tickets from New York City
Quebec's immigration minister says she was 'surprised' to learn the City of New York is helping to provide free bus tickets to migrants heading north to claim asylum in Canada.
The world's deadliest earthquakes since 2000
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake shook Turkiye and Syria on Monday, killing thousands of people. Here is a list of some of the world's deadliest earthquakes since 2000.
Mendicino: foreign-agent registry would need equity lens, could be part of 'tool box'
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino says a registry to track foreign agents operating in Canada can only be implemented in lockstep with diverse communities.
Vaccine intake higher among people who knew someone who died of COVID-19: U.S. survey
A U.S. survey found that people who had a personal connection to someone who became ill or died of COVID-19 were more likely to have received at least one shot of the vaccine compared to those who didn’t have any loved ones who had been impacted by the disease.
opinion | Don Martin: Alarms going off over health-care privatization? Such an out-of-touch waste of hot political air
The chances Trudeau's health-care summit with the premiers will end with the blueprint to realistic long-term improvements are only marginally better than believing China’s balloon was simply collecting atmospheric temperatures, Don Martin writes in an exclusive column for CTVNews.ca, 'But it’s clearly time the 50-year-old dream of medicare as a Canadian birthright stopped being such a nightmare for so many patients.'