Salmonella outbreak more than doubles; CDC identifies potential source

 

  

A recent salmonella outbreak with no known food source has more than doubled in infections in over a week. 

On Sept. 15, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 127 people in 25 states had been infected with salmonella, resulting in 18 hospitalizations. On Thursday, the CDC announced the number of reported illness had more than doubled: 279 people have been sickened, and the outbreak has reached another four states. An additional eight people have now been hospitalized because of salmonella.

On Sept. 2, 20 people were reported sick by the strain of Salmonella Oranienburg. Since then, the CDC says the outbreak has "grown rapidly."

No food source has been attributed to the outbreak, but state and local officials from infected states have collected food samples from restaurants where sick people ate and found salmonella in a condiment cup containing cilantro and lime. The cup also had onions, but they weren't inside when the food was tested.

 CDC data shows the outbreak has stretched across the U.S.; Texas, 81, and Oklahoma, 40, have the most cases. Other notable states with outbreaks include Illinois, 23, Virginia, 22, and Minnesota, 19. The infected people have ranged in age from less than a year old to 89 years old;  59% of sick people are females. No deaths have been reported

source Usatoday