The CDC continues its investigation into the source of the Salmonella serotype Saintpaul contaminated tomatoes, and in addition, announced today that a total of 277 confirmed cases of Salmonella Saintpaul food poisoning have been confirmed in 28 states. Confirmed outbreak cases were reported as far back as April of this year, and have been linked to consumption of raw red plum, red Roma, round red tomatoes, and products containing these raw tomatoes.
The 28 states (and the District of Columbia) reporting confirmed Salmonella Saintpaul infections include: Arkansas (2 persons), Arizona (19), California (6), Colorado (1), Connecticut (2), Florida (1), Georgia (7), Idaho (3), Illinois (34), Indiana (7), Kansas (8), Kentucky (1), Maryland (1), Michigan (2), Missouri (4), New Mexico (68), New York (2), North Carolina (1), Ohio (3), Oklahoma (4), Oregon (3), Tennessee (4), Texas (68), Utah (2), Virginia (16), Vermont (1), Washington (1), Wisconsin (5), and the District of Columbia (1). At least 43 of the infections resulted in hospitalization, and the outbreak strain of Salmonella Saintpaul may have contributed to the death of a cancer patient.
Symptoms of Salmonella food poisoning may include diarrhea (sometimes bloody), abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, headache, muscle pain, and joint pain. Symptoms usually appear 12-72 hours after the ingestion of contaminated food, and the illness usually lasts 4-7 days. Your doctor can confirm a Salmonella diagnosis by culturing a stool sample for the presence of Salmonella bacteria. Infants, the elderly, and those with impaired immune systems are at greatest risk for complications due Salmonella infection. To learn more, please visit our additional website www.foodpoisoning.com.
Public health officials seem no closer to discovering the source of the Salmonella tainted tomatoes, although they suspect a single geographic region is the source of the outbreak. Additionally, David Acheson, Associate commissioner for food at the FDA, stated that nine of the Salmonella Saintpaul victims had eaten at two different outlets of the same restaurant chain. The FDA would not release the name or location of the restaurant.
The Law Firm of Eric Weinberg currently represents individuals who have been sickened in Salmonella food poisoning outbreaks nationwide. If you have a question concerning your legal rights, please call us toll free at 1-877-934-6274, or see Free Legal Case Evaluation. To learn more about our legal practice, please see Salmonella Lawyer.
For information concerning recent food poisoning outbreaks, please see Salmonella IHOP, E. coli Illinois Lettuce, and E. coli Michigan Lettuce.