Salmonella Outbreak Hits 23 States

According to federal health officials, an outbreak of salmonella is affecting nearly two dozen states.

212 people have been infected with a strain of Salmonella Newport in 23 states. 87 new cases have been reported since the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) last update on July 21st, including 38 people from eight new states, which are: Arizona Florida, Maine, North Dakota, South Dakota, Virginia, Idaho, and Nebraska.

The CDC reported that 31 people have been hospitalized, with no deaths.

“This outbreak is rapidly growing in size,” the CDC stated in a release Friday, noting that a specific food item, grocery store or restaurant chain has not been identified yet as the source of infections.

Oregon and Utah have reported the most infections. Oregon has reported 51 cases and Utah has registered 40. Click here for a map of the states affected by the salmonella outbreak. here.

The salmonella outbreak was first reported on July 10 with 13 cases in three states.

The CDC reports that symptoms of the salmonella infection typically begin six hours to six days after being infected and may last up to one to two weeks.

Symptoms include:

• Nausea, vomiting
• Diarrhea (that can be bloody)
• Fever
• Headache
• Stomach cramps

It is important to note that in rare cases, salmonella infections can be fatal. Those with weakened immune systems, children under 5 years of age, and adults over 65 are more at risk to have severe symptoms.

The CDC strongly encourages anyone with symptoms of salmonella infection to report it to your health department and to keep a record of what foods they ate and wherein help public health officials identify the source of the contaminated food and help them stop the spread of this illness.