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Nearly 400 Sickened in 42-State
Salmonella Outbreak Date Published: Thursday, January 8th, 2009 Source of Article: http://www.newsinferno.com/archives/4509 An ongoing salmonella
outbreak has sickened 388 people and hospitalized 67 in at least 42 states,
the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and
Prevention has announced. The CDC reported that the age range of those
who have fallen ill ranges from under one–year-old to 103 years of age, said
WebMD. “We are collaborating with public health
officials in 42 states, the FDA, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to
investigate an ongoing multi-state outbreak of human infection with
Salmonella typhimurium,” CDC spokesperson Lola
Russell told WebMD. Although the CDC is not saying which states are
involved, the Ohio Department of Health issued a news release confirming that
A U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
spokesperson says it and the CDC are closely collaborating to determine the
outbreak’s source, reports WebMD, which also
explained that if it is found that the illness originated with an
FDA-regulated item, that agency will handle the “traceback”
investigation. Tracebacks are foodborne outbreak investigations that look for the
specific item that caused the outbreak as well as how that item became
contaminated, said WebMD. The salmonella strain involved in this particular
outbreak—Salmonellatyphimurium—is considered common
and is also the same strain responsible for the 2007 wide-scale outbreak that
sickened over 400 people in over 40 states, Russell told WebMD. In that
case, Russell added, the CDC found that undercooked, not-ready-to-eat Banquet
brand frozen pot pies were to blame. Last year’s huge salmonella
outbreak that was finally traced to Mexican peppers and was first blamed on tomatoes, was linked to salmonella Saintpaul,
a different salmonella strain than is involved in the current cases. Salmonella typhimurium
outbreaks have been linked to poultry, raw milk and cheese, and pet turtles
said WebMD. “We are reminding people that it is often difficult to
trace the source or sources of salmonella outbreaks,” Russell told WebMD,
adding, “We don’t have a potential source at this point.” WebMD noted that the CDC receives at least 40,000
reports of salmonella poisoning annually, with about 400 deaths
reported. It is believed that the actual number of cases is much higher—30-fold
more, said WebMD—because less serious cases are often not reported. Salmonella poisoning causes swelling of the
lining of the stomach and intestines (gastroenteritis) that is responsible
for about 15% of all cases of food poisoning. Salmonella is most
serious in infants, the elderly, and people with weak immune systems. In
these individuals, the infection may spread from the intestines to the blood
stream, and then to other body sites, resulting in death unless the person is
treated promptly with antibiotics. In addition, people who have had
part or all of their stomach or their spleens removed, or who have sickle
cell anemia, cirrhosis of the liver, leukemia, lymphoma, malaria, or Acquired
Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) are extremely susceptible to salmonella food
poisoning. Salmonella also has potential long-term health consequences,
with some victims developing a disease called Reiter’s Syndrome, a
difficult-to-treat form of reactive arthritis that causes severe joint pain,
irritation of the eyes, and painful urination. Reiter’s Syndrome can
plague its victims for months or years, and can lead to chronic arthritis. |
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