November 1, 2006

Health Officials Investigating Salmonella Outbreak

The FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are investigating an outbreak of salmonella that has made 171 people sick in 19 states.

Early media reports have already implicated produce in the outbreak, but it is too early in the investigation to name a source, a CDC statement said. Once the salmonella-contaminated product is found, FDA will start a traceback to find the source.

There is little evidence of an ongoing public risk associated with the outbreak, the CDC said in a statement. The cases were reported as early as Sept. 1, and CDC indicated that few new cases are being reported.

The infection is the Typhimurium strain of salmonella. The strain usually causes fever and diarrhea, and symptoms typically last about a week. CDC reported that almost 60 percent of those sickened are female, and the median age is 36.

Isolating the food or foods that caused the salmonella contamination could take days or weeks. The cases are widely distributed across the country, so investigators will have to conduct food history interviews with patients and compare them to consumers who are not sick to determine what products could be tainted.


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