Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press
Published 2:11 p.m. ET July 23, 2020 | Updated 3:02 p.m. ET July 23, 2020
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Most people take precautions to avoid contracting salmonella poisoning from raw chicken, but there are other foods that are surprisingly more likely to harbor the harmful bacteria.
A federal health agency and health officials in several states are investigating an outbreak of salmonella newport infections from an unidentified source.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) described the outbreak as “rapidly growing.” On July 10, the CDC reported 13 infections in three states. The outbreak grew over the next 10 days to 15 states. Twelve cases have been reported in Michigan.
So far, 125 people ranging in age 2-92 have become ill. More than half are female. Twenty four people have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
A source of the infection, the CDC announced in a news release late Tuesday afternoon, has not been identified. Though it’s typically from food, no specific food, grocery store, or restaurant has been linked to the outbreak. Health officials are interviewing and asking those who have become ill about the foods they ate.
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If you have symptoms, the CDC advises you to contact your healthcare provider, write down what you ate the week before you became sick and contact the local health department.
Here’s what to know about salmonella infection from the CDC:
- Symptoms of salmonella infection included diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps. They typically show up 6 hours to 6 days, the CDC says, being exposed to the bacteria.
- Salmonella may spread from the intestines to the bloodstream and then to other places in the body.
- The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most people recover without treatment.
- In rare cases, Salmonella infection can cause death unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics.
- People with weakened immune systems, children younger than 5 years and adults older than 65 years are more likely to have severe illness.
Here’s the CDC advice to help prevent salmonella infections
- Clean: Wash your hands and surfaces often. Wash fruits and vegetables before eating, cutting, or peeling.
- Separate: Keep foods that won’t be cooked before it is eaten, such as fresh fruit, salads, and deli meats, away from raw meat, poultry, and seafood.
- Cook: To a temperature high enough to kill germs. Ground beef, veal , pork and lamb should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees. All poultry products should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
- Chill: Refrigerate perishable foods within 2 hours; 1 hour if it’s 90 degrees or hotter outside.
Contact food writer Susan Selasky at: 313-222-6872 or [email protected]. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter.
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