Hundreds Sickened In Ongoing Salmonella Outbreak Linked To Cucumbers

ACROSS AMERICA — Nearly 450 people have been sickened in a multi-state salmonella outbreak linked to recalled cucumbers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In an update posted Wednesday, the CDC said the outbreak has sickened 449 people in 31 states and the District of Columbia as of July 2 — up from 160 on June 5. Additionally, 125 people were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

According to a CDC, the states with the highest number of Salmonella cases included Pennsylvania, New York, Florida and Virginia. Several other Southeastern states including Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee also reported numerous cases.

See the full map of reported cases here.

The outbreak of Salmonella Africana and Salmonella Braenderup infections — originally reported as two separate outbreaks — was combined by the CDC and U.S. Food and Drug Administration because they shared several similarities, including "where and when illnesses occurred, the demographics of ill people and the foods they reported eating before they became sick," the CDC said.

"Epidemiologic, traceback and laboratory data show that cucumbers were contaminated with Salmonella and made people sick," the CDC said Wednesday.

Data collected by federal health officials linked the outbreak to cucumbers from Bedner Growers Inc. in Boynton Beach, Florida, and Thomas Produce Company, of Boca Raton, Florida; however, the two growers likely do not account for all illnesses in the outbreak, officials said.

In May, Fresh Start Produce Sales Inc. of Delray, Florida, recalled whole cucumbers shipped to certain states between May 17-21 due to possible Salmonella contamination. The company said the cucumbers were shipped in bulk cartons directly to retail distribution centers, wholesalers, and food service distributors in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

The recall began after the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture informed the company that a product sample tested positive for Salmonella bacteria. The CDC later linked the cucumbers to the nationwide Salmonella outbreak.

Symptoms of Salmonella typically include diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps. The illness usually occurs within 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food and usually lasts four to seven days.

Children younger than five, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to have severe infections, according to the CDC.

The contaminated cucumbers no longer pose a risk to public health because the product is past its shelf life, officials said.

To prevent Salmonella illness, federal health officials recommend consumers do the following:

• Clean: Wash your hands, utensils, and surfaces often. Rinse fruits and vegetables under running water before eating, cutting, or peeling.
• Separate: Keep food that won’t be cooked separately from raw meat, poultry, and seafood.
• Cook: Use a food thermometer to make sure you have cooked your food to a temperature high enough to kill germs.
• Chill: Refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours. If the outside temperature is hotter than 90°F, refrigerate within 1 hour. Thaw food in the refrigerator, not on the counter.