Foodborne Illness Outbreak: Salmonella Sickens More Than 1,300 People
More than 1300 people across the United States have been infected by foodborne illness from salmonella bacteria after consuming tainted peppers and/or tomatoes. But health officials have still not been able to determine the source of the infections. All they know is that the salmonella came from jalapenos, Serrano peppers and possibly tomatoes grown on several farms in Mexico.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, more than 1 million people in the United States are hit by various strains of salmonella each year, causing more than 500 documented deaths annually. This particular outbreak has now stretched over four months and has been the most challenging for the Food and Drug Administration to sort out.
Salmonella is among those foodborne illnesses that can not only make victims suffer long-term, but could end up being lethal. Salmonella is the most common foodborne illness in the United States. The bacteria grow in the intestine and cause the illness. How severe the infection becomes depends on the amount of bacteria in the system, the strain of organism and the resistance level of the affected persons. Infants and the elderly are considered high-risk. Most common symptoms for salmonella infection include headache, vomiting, diarrhea, fever and fatigue.
First, FDA officials declared that all raw tomatoes were contaminated. More recently, officials found that the peppers grown in several Mexican farms were the culprits in addition to certain batches of tomatoes also grown on these farms. The FDA is asking people to eat only American-grown jalapenos.
These illnesses are quickly giving rise to lawsuits all over the country. The victims cannot be blamed. Salmonella poisoning can be extremely exhausting and cause tremendous pain and suffering. We recently settled the worst case of salmonella poisoning that we had seen. Our client suffered salmonella intestinal infestation for months after consuming raw quail eggs at an Orange County sushi restaurant.
Food sources, be it on the farm or at the local restaurant, get contaminated when food preparers and processors fail to follow proper handling, processing and storing procedures. Salmonella contaminations particularly thrive in raw foods such as raw meat, poultry, eggs or any egg-based food such as cream desserts and salad dressing. Remember, especially during such outbreaks, that eating cooked food while dining out may be a wiser choice.
