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Salmonella
Sickens Scores of Students at Massachusetts School Source of
Article: http://www.newsinferno.com/archives/5710 Date Published: Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009 Over
50 middle school children in Salem, Massachusetts have been sickened with Salmonella
poisoning and students continue to fall ill, missing school because of the
dangerous, sometimes deadly, pathogen. The unusually high incidence of
absences prompted the state’s Department
of Health and Human Services to start an investigation on Monday, said
The Eagle Tribune. Officials
at Woodbury Middle School contacted the state health department, advising
them that approximately 50 children were absent over illness. The health
department confirmed, via stool sampling, that the students were infected
with the Salmonella pathogen, said The Eagle Tribune. A total of 69 children
were absent from school yesterday, according to the paper, an increase of 15
students since Monday. Salmonella
can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or
elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons
infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be
bloody), nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain within 12 to 72 hours of
contamination. Generally, the illness lasts a week, but, in some,
hospitalization is required because the infection may have spread to the
blood stream and other body sites, producing more severe illnesses such as
arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis, and arthritis.
Without treatment, severe cases of Salmonellosis can result in death.
Unfortunately, some Salmonella bacteria are resistant to antibiotics, largely
due to the use of antibiotics to promote the growth of feed animals. Salmonella
is usually found in food contaminated with animal feces and is a group of
bacteria that passes from the feces of people or animals to other people or
animals, causing contamination when food is improperly stored or handled and
when preparers do not wash their hands or sanitize implements involved in
food storage. While
the investigation into the outbreak continues, it is known that, last week,
all of the sick children attended an overnight camp—the Stone Environmental
School—said Michael, Delahanty, the Salem Schools’ Superintendent, reported
The Eagle Tribune. Health officials have been interviewing infected children
and another team has been conducting investigations and interviews at the
Stone Environmental School in an attempt to determine the outbreak’s origin,
said The Eagle Tribune. One child was hospitalized and it is believed one
other student was, as well, said state director of public health, Dr. Jose
Montero. Salmonella
is the most frequently reported cause of food-related outbreaks of stomach
illness worldwide and Salmonella poisoning can lead to Reiter’s Syndrome, a
difficult-to-treat reactive arthritis characterized by severe joint pain,
irritation of the eyes, and painful urination. A victim of Reiter’s Syndrome
may have already been treated for the initial infection, and it can be weeks
before the symptoms of Reiter’s Syndrome become apparent. Reiter’s Syndrome,
which can plague its victims for months or years, is said to occur when
reactive arthritis is evident and at least one other non-joint area, such as
the eyes, skin, or muscles, is affected. Salmonella
poisoning is the culprit in the massive food borne contamination linked to
the Peanut Corporation of America’s (PCA) peanuts and peanut products, the
multi-state Salmonella poisoning outbreak linked to a variety of SunSprout
Enterprises sprouts, tainted spices and other food products from the Union
International Food Company, and the emerging and growing pistachio recall
linked to Setton Pistachio, to name just some in recent days. |
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