CDC: Salmonella sickens people in 35 states, including N.Y.
More than 400 people have taken ill as a salmonella outbreak spreads across 35 states, including New York, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The source of the infections has not yet been identified, according to CDC.
At least 419 people have become ill from the outbreak, with at least 66 people hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. The sick range in ange from less than a year old to 91 years old, with a median age of 37, according to CDC.
The majority of the cases have been reported in Texas, with 111 cases, followed by Oklahoma, 63 cases; and Virginia, 38 cases. In New York, three people were infected as of Sept. 30, according to CDC data.
Confirmed cases of the outbreak strain Salmonella Oranienburg were first reported on June 19, and most recently on Sept. 14, according to CDC data.
The CDC said the true number of sick people in an outbreak is likely much higher than the number reported, and that it may not be limited to the states with known illnesses. This is because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for salmonella.
Salmonella infection is confirmed when laboratory testing detects the bacteria in a person’s bowel movement, body tissue, or fluids.
But the CDC has estimated that for every confirmed case of salmonella, 30 more cases go unreported. In addition, recent illnesses may not yet be reported, as it usually takes three to four weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak.
Most people infected with salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, dehydration, vomiting and stomach cramps 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food. The illness usually lasts four to seven days, and most people recover without treatment.
Those with symptoms of a salmonella infection, should talk to their health-care provider and report the illness to the local Health Department to help investigators.
Salmonella infection may spread from the intestines to the bloodstream, and then to other places in the body. Children younger than 5 years old, pregnant women, adults 65 and older and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to have a severe illness.
The CDC shared these four safety steps to prevent getting sick from salmonella:
n Clean: Wash your hands, utensils and surfaces often. Rinse fruits and vegetables under running water before eating, cutting, or peeling them.
n Separate: Keep food that won’t be cooked separate from raw meat, poultry and seafood.
n Cook: Use a food thermometer to make sure you have cooked your food to a temperature high enough to kill germs.
n Chill: Refrigerate perishable foods within two hours (within one hour if the food has been exposed to temperatures above 90°F, like at a picnic). Thaw food in the refrigerator, not on the counter.
Salmonella is typically a food-borne illness, so state and local officials backtracked many of these sick people to restaurants where they ate. The outbreak strain of Salmonella Oranienburg was found in a sample of cilantro and lime from a takeout condiment cup, according to the CDC. One sick person said the condiment container had also carried onions, but none were left in the cup by the time it was tested.
“Because multiple food items were present in the container and in the sample that was tested, it is not possible to know which food item was contaminated,” the CDC said in a statement. “We are using this information in conjunction with other available information to help narrow the list of possible foods linked to illness.”
Includes reporting from Tribune News Service.
