The problems are not confined to just California or Texas by any means. The Minnesota Department of Public Health said in a September 10th news release that 45 cases of salmonella have been reported likely involving at least 17 different Chipotle restaurants throughout the state since September 2nd. Halfway across the country in the nation’s capital, up to 70 cases of salmonella-related illnesses have been traced to the upscale chain restaurant Fig & Olive’s Washington D.C. location. Among the cases, six have been confirmed to contain a salmonella infection. These cases follow the September 2nd press release by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that New York specialty online retailer Sincerely Nuts is recalling several macadamia nut products due to traces of salmonella found during routine lab testing.
In the past few months, salmonella outbreaks have affected every corner of the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 340 people in 30 states have been sickened by the strain of salmonella bacteria called poona. Among those affected appears to have been 99 year-old Mildred Hendricks of Travis County, Texas, whose death last month was linked to cucumbers tainted with the strain. Hendricks’s niece filed a lawsuit against San Diego-based Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce in California federal court on Monday, the importer of the tainted cucumbers. The California Department of Public Health, along with the CDC, is investigating the cucumbers, which were imported from Mexico and sold under the label, “Limited Edition.” According to the department, 16 San Diego County residents and three visitors have come down will salmonella-related illnesses. Andrew & Williamson announced a recall of the cucumbers on September 10th.
The problems are not confined to just California or Texas by any means. The Minnesota Department of Public Health said in a September 10th news release that 45 cases of salmonella have been reported likely involving at least 17 different Chipotle restaurants throughout the state since September 2nd. Halfway across the country in the nation’s capital, up to 70 cases of salmonella-related illnesses have been traced to the upscale chain restaurant Fig & Olive’s Washington D.C. location. Among the cases, six have been confirmed to contain a salmonella infection. These cases follow the September 2nd press release by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that New York specialty online retailer Sincerely Nuts is recalling several macadamia nut products due to traces of salmonella found during routine lab testing. According to an alert posted by the CDC on September, 9th, 56 people have reported salmonella-related illness since the agency’s September 4th update, with 53 percent of the 341 total cases being persons under the age of 18, including the death in Texas, as well as another in California.
With exception to the Sincerely Nuts discovery, Cucumbers appear to be the main culprit of the bacteria, specifically those imported from Mexico. Along with Andrew & Williamson’s recall, fellow Californian produce broker, Custom Produce Sales of Parlier issued a voluntary recall involving all of its cucumbers, sold under the name “Fat Boy.” The CDC announced that it is using its “National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System laboratory is conducting antibiotic resistance testing on clinical isolates collected from ill people infected with the outbreak strains.” Although the CDC is working jointly with many state authorities to pinpoint and curtail the outbreak, its nationwide reach is alarming. Salmonella bacteria can cause serious cases of vomiting, diarrhea, and fever, especially affecting children and the elderly.
Sources:
San Diego Union Tribune – Susan Shroder
Tech Times – Christian de Looper
The Packer – Tom Karst
Washington Post – Tim Carman
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