CDC Expands Recall of Aromatherapy Sprays Tied to Rare Illness

A recall of aromatherapy sprays connected with fatal cases of the rare tropical disease melioidosis has been expanded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The agency previously identified four cases of melioidosis -- two of them fatal -- linked with Better Homes & Gardens Lavender & Chamomile Essential Oil Infused Aromatherapy Room Spray with Gemstones, which was made in India and sold by Walmart.

The agency said in a statement Wednesday that it is now testing for the presence of the bacteria Burkholderia pseudomallei in five other scents under the same brand name with Gemstones: Lemon & Mandarin, Lavender, Peppermint, Lime & Eucalyptus, and Sandalwood & Vanilla. Those five scents have been added to the recall, and consumers who have the products should not use them. Instead of throwing the products out, consumers should pack them carefully and send them in for refunds, the CDC and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission advised.

The products were sold online nationwide through Walmart and at a limited number of Walmart stores between February and Oct. 21, 2021.

The CDC has also issued a health alert for doctors and other health care providers to watch for patients with symptoms of melioidosis -- acute or chronic localized infection that may include high fever, pain, headache, and abscesses in the liver, lung, spleen, and prostate -- and to ask patients if they have used certain aromatherapy sprays.