Salmonella Outbreak

Subject: Salmonella Outbreak Tue Oct 31, 2006 8:14 am

Salmonella sickens dozens in 18 states
A salmonella outbreak potentially linked to produce has sickened at least 172 people in 18 states, health officials said Monday.

Health officials think the bacteria may have spread through some form of produce — the list of suspects includes tomatoes. But the illnesses have not been tied to any specific product, chain, restaurants or supermarkets.

No one has died in the outbreak, which stems from a common form of salmonella bacteria. Eleven people have been hospitalized, health officials said.

"We're very early in the investigation," said Dave Daigle, a spokesman for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC first detected the outbreak two weeks ago through a national computer lab system that looks for patterns and matches in reports of food-borne illness. The Food and Drug Administration has joined the investigation and will try to help trace the outbreak to its origin.

Most of the cases are in adults, and more than 60 percent are women, said Dr. Chris Braden, a CDC epidemiologist investigating the outbreak.

The states involved are Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia, Vermont and Wisconsin.

Salmonella generally causes a nonfatal, diarrhea-causing illness. Other symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, fever and headache.

There are about 2,500 types of salmonella. The type in this outbreak — Salmonella typhimurium — is one of the most common, Braden said.

People can catch the infection from many different sources, including water, soil, insects, factory surfaces, kitchen surfaces, animal feces, and raw meats, poultry and seafood.

Outbreaks of food-borne illness have repeatedly made headlines this year. Certain brands of packaged spinach, lettuce, carrot juice, beef and unpasteurized milk recently were recalled after they were found to be tainted with illness-causing bacteria.

The most serious outbreak, first reported in September, involved spinach tainted with E. coli bacteria that killed three people and sickened more than 200.

Health officials estimate that more than 1.4 million cases of salmonellosis occur in the United States each year. About 1.3 million of those cases come from food, Braden said.

It was also said that the virus takes effect within 1-3 days of exposure.

Subject: Re: Salmonella Outbreak Tue Oct 31, 2006 8:16 am

Hmm...sounds as if you all could have had salmonella last week.

Subject: Re: Salmonella Outbreak Tue Oct 31, 2006 8:18 am

Thats what i was thinking. And maybe Brandon, Duncan and I just didn't eat or touch something that you guys did??

Subject: Re: Salmonella Outbreak Tue Oct 31, 2006 10:09 am

That's why I was asking before it this sounded like some kind of food poisening!!! Amanda what did you NOT eat at breakfast??

I ate my egg casserole
Lynelle's fruit salad
Beth's sausage rolls
Foodlion's Raspberry bread thingy

I think that was it. Maybe there was something else I'm forgetting... what else was there??

Subject: Re: Salmonella Outbreak Tue Oct 31, 2006 10:13 am

conspiracy theory "cough... cough..."

Topic

Subject: Re: Salmonella Outbreak Tue Oct 31, 2006 10:18 am

I did not eat the Raspberry thingie (danish).

Subject: Re: Salmonella Outbreak Tue Oct 31, 2006 10:24 am

WE ate:

Raspberry Danish
My sausage rolls
Hashbrown casserole

Thats all.

Subject: Re: Salmonella Outbreak Tue Oct 31, 2006 10:25 am

Sounds plausiblebut..... Noah did not eat any of it. This bug has gone through the school here, plus people at our church have had it. Wierd thing... Peraliefries NEVER got it, even though we were vomiting and running to the bathroom for three days.... Makes me think that she was the carrier.....think Typhoid mary.........

Subject: Re: Salmonella Outbreak Tue Oct 31, 2006 10:25 am

Okay for those of us out that that became ill.... did any of you NOT eat the danish??

I'm pretty sure I gave some to Giddy... and the fact that it was all gone by the time the guys came in would explain why Gavin didn't get ill.

Subject: Re: Salmonella Outbreak Tue Oct 31, 2006 10:35 am

Brandon had Danish when he came in and he was last to come in...thats all he got to eat, in fact.

Subject: Re: Salmonella Outbreak Tue Oct 31, 2006 10:36 am

Lynelle, Brandon pointed out that Noah had it first and didn't EAT anything either, but the article said it can spread through simple touch then putting your hand to your mouth...which we all know Noah is VERY good at Wink