October 31, 2006
Government health officials are investigating another outbreak of
food contamination. Like September's E. coli outbreak, the current
salmonella cases may be linked to produce.
Thus far, as many as 172 people in 18 states have gotten sick and 11 have been hospitalized.
The salmonella bacteria may have spread through tomatoes, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention. But a CDC spokesman says no link has yet been established between the bacteria and specific food products or food distribution chains.
CDC officials say they have been monitoring the salmonella outbreak for the last two weeks, as it grew and spread across the country.
To date, affected states include Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia, Vermont and Wisconsin.
CDC scientists say most of the salmonella cases have occurred in adults and most of those cases have occurred in women. The CDC says the current outbreak involves one of the more common forms of the bacteria.
The Salmonella germ is actually a group of bacteria that can cause diarrheal illness in humans. They are microscopic living creatures that pass from the feces of people or animals, to other people or other animals.
The typical symptoms include diarrhea, fever and stomach pain, which start up to three days after people become infected.
The symptoms usually go away after one week. But some people have to see a doctor or be hospitalized because the diarrhea is severe or the infection has affected other organs.
