The CDC continues its investigation into the source of the Salmonella serotype Saintpaul contaminated tomatoes, and in addition, announced today that a total of 277 confirmed cases of Salmonella Saintpaul food poisoning have been confirmed in 28 states. Confirmed outbreak cases were reported as far back as April of this year, and have been linked to consumption of raw red plum, red Roma, round red tomatoes, and products containing these raw tomatoes.
The 28 states (and the District of Columbia) reporting confirmed Salmonella Saintpaul infections include: Arkansas (2 persons), Arizona (19), California (6), Colorado (1), Connecticut (2), Florida (1), Georgia (7), Idaho (3), Illinois (34), Indiana (7), Kansas (8), Kentucky (1), Maryland (1), Michigan (2), Missouri (4), New Mexico (68), New York (2), North Carolina (1), Ohio (3), Oklahoma (4), Oregon (3), Tennessee (4), Texas (68), Utah (2), Virginia (16), Vermont (1), Washington (1), Wisconsin (5), and the District of Columbia (1). At least 43 of the infections resulted in hospitalization, and the outbreak strain of Salmonella Saintpaul may have contributed to the death of a cancer patient.
Symptoms of Salmonella food poisoning may include diarrhea (sometimes bloody), abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, headache, muscle pain, and joint pain. Symptoms usually appear 12-72 hours after the ingestion of contaminated food, and the illness usually lasts 4-7 days. Your doctor can confirm a Salmonella diagnosis by culturing a stool sample for the presence of Salmonella bacteria. Infants, the elderly, and those with impaired immune systems are at greatest risk for complications due Salmonella infection. To learn more, please visit our additional website www.foodpoisoning.com.
Public health officials seem no closer to discovering the source of the Salmonella tainted tomatoes, although they suspect a single geographic region is the source of the outbreak. Additionally, David Acheson, Associate commissioner for food at the FDA, stated that nine of the Salmonella Saintpaul victims had eaten at two different outlets of the same restaurant chain. The FDA would not release the name or location of the restaurant.
The Law Firm of Eric Weinberg currently represents individuals who have been sickened in Salmonella food poisoning outbreaks nationwide. If you have a question concerning your legal rights, please call us toll free at 1-877-934-6274, or see Free Legal Case Evaluation. To learn more about our legal practice, please see Salmonella Lawyer.
June 16th, 2008
On June 7, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that they are continuing to work with the FDA, Indian Health Service, and health officials from several states in an effort to solve an ongoing multistate outbreak of Salmonella serotype Saintpaul. To date, a total of 145 persons suffering from Salmonella Saintpaul infection, have been linked to the outbreak. At least 23 of the illnesses have resulted in hospitalization.
By comparing foods eaten by victims of the Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak and individuals who are well, the New Mexico and Texas Departments of Health and the Indian Health Service identified raw tomatoes (Roma and round red) as the likely food poisoning culprit.
The 145 Salmonella Saintpaul cases have been reported since mid-April in 16 states: Arizona (12 persons), California (1), Colorado (1), Connecticut (1), Idaho (2), Illinois (17), Indiana (1), Kansas (3), New Mexico (39), Oklahoma (3), Oregon (2), Texas (56 persons), Utah (1), Virginia (2), Washington (1), and Wisconsin (3).
In contrast, for the same time period last year, the CDC reported:
Only 3 persons infected with this strain of Salmonella Saintpaul were identified in the country during the same [time] period in 2007. The previous rarity of this strain and the distribution of illnesses in all U.S. regions suggest that the implicated tomatoes are distributed throughout much of the country. Because of inherent delays in reporting and because many persons with Salmonella illness do not have a stool specimen tested, it is likely many more illnesses have occurred than those reported.
Symptoms of Salmonella food poisoning may include diarrhea (sometimes bloody), abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, headache, muscle pain, and joint pain. Symptoms usually appear 12-72 hours after the ingestion of contaminated food. The illness usually lasts 4-7 days. Your doctor can confirm a Salmonella diagnosis by culturing a stool sample for the presence of Salmonella bacteria. Infants, the elderly, and those with impaired immune systems are at greatest risk for complications due Salmonella infection. To learn more, please visit our additional website www.foodpoisoning.com.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also provides the following advice for consumers:
At this time, FDA is advising U.S. consumers to limit their tomato consumption to those that are not the likely source of this outbreak. These include cherry tomatoes; grape tomatoes; tomatoes sold with the vine still attached; tomatoes grown at home; and raw red Roma, red plum, and round red tomatoes from specific sources listed at: http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/tomatoes.html*. Consumers should be aware that raw tomatoes are often used in the preparation of fresh salsa, guacamole, and pico de gallo, are part of fillings for tortillas, and are used in many other dishes.
Customers everywhere are advised to:
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Refrigerate within 2 hours or discard cut, peeled, or cooked tomatoes.
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Avoid purchasing bruised or damaged tomatoes and discard any that appear spoiled.
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Thoroughly wash all tomatoes under running water.
- Keep tomatoes that will be consumed raw separate from raw meats, raw seafood, and raw produce items.
- Wash cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and counter tops with hot water and soap when switching between types of food products.
The Law Firm of Eric Weinberg currently represents individuals who have been sickened in Salmonella food poisoning outbreaks nationwide. If you have a question concerning your legal rights, please call us toll free at 1-877-934-6274, or see Free Legal Case Evaluation. To learn more about our legal practice, please see Salmonella Lawyer.
June 9th, 2008
Jennifer Grathwol, writing for the Sandusky Register Online, reports that 10 cases of Salmonella were reported in Norwalk, Ohio last week.
Although the exact source of the outbreak has yet to be determined, the common factor linking the 10 victims may have been eating at Casa Fiesta on April 24 or 25. Casa Fiesta is located at 196 Milan Ave., Norwalk, Ohio.
The Ohio Department of Health is testing food samples from the restaurant.
Symptoms of Salmonella food poisoning may include diarrhea (sometimes bloody), abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, headache, muscle pain, and joint pain. Symptoms usually appear within 12-72 hours after the ingestion of contaminated food. The elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to suffer severe illness.
To learn more about Salmonella food poisoning, please visit our additional website www.foodpoisoning.com.
The Law Firm of Eric Weinberg currently represents individuals who have been sickened in Salmonella food poisoning outbreaks nationwide. If you have a question concerning your legal rights, please call us toll free at 1-877-934-6274, or see Free Legal Case Evaluation. To learn more about our legal practice, please see Food Poisoning Lawyer.
For information on recent food poisoning outbreaks and food recalls, please see Hepatitis A Food Poisoning Lawyer, Malt-O-Meal Salmonella Lawyer, and IHOP Hepatitis A Outbreak.
May 4th, 2008
Public health officials inspected Princeton University’s main dining hall after eight cases of Salmonella food poisoning were confirmed. There are reports of an additional 80 cases of “stomach problems” at the university.
Health officials have interviewed at least 40 patients who reported food poisoning symptoms in an effort to determine the source of the outbreak. Little information is available; however, there are reports that the university has sent food samples out for testing.
To learn more about Salmonella please click Salmonella Food Poisoning and Salmonella Symptoms, or visit our additional website www.foodpoisoning.com.
The New Brunswick, NJ Law Firm of Eric Weinberg currently represents victims Salmonella food poisoning outbreaks nationwide. If you have a question concerning your legal rights, please call us toll free at 1-877-934-6274, or see Free Legal Case Evaluation. To learn more about our legal practice, please see NJ Food Poisoning Lawyer.
For information on recent food poisoning outbreaks and food recalls, please see Hepatitis A Food Poisoning Lawyer, Malt-O-Meal Salmonella Outbreak, and IHOP Hepatitis A Outbreak.
May 4th, 2008
Right here in New Jersey, health officials are investigating six confirmed cases of Salmonella food poisoning at Princeton University; while an additional 70 students and staff have reported symptoms suggesting that they too have been infected with Salmonella.
Although the source of the Salmonella outbreak has not yet been determined, New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services spokesperson, Donna Leusner, said that health officials will interview patients who have reported a stomach illness since last week.
Symptoms of Salmonella food poisoning may include diarrhea (sometimes bloody), abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, headache, muscle pain, and joint pain. Symptoms usually appear within 12-72 hours after the ingestion of contaminated food. The elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to suffer severe illness.
To learn more about Salmonella food poisoning, please see Salmonella Food Poisoning and Salmonella Symptoms, or visit our additional website www.foodpoisoning.com.
The New Jersey Law Firm of Eric Weinberg currently represents individuals who have been sickened in Salmonella food poisoning outbreaks nationwide. If you have a question concerning your legal rights, please call us toll free at 1-877-934-6274, or see Free Legal Case Evaluation. To learn more about our legal practice, please see NJ Food Poisoning Lawyer.
For information on recent food poisoning outbreaks and food recalls, please see Hepatitis A Food Poisoning Lawyer, Malt-O-Meal Salmonella Outbreak, and IHOP Hepatitis A Outbreak.
May 2nd, 2008
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