Today the CDC announced that the outbreak of Salmonella Nchanga and Salmonella Bareilly associated with raw scraped tuna imported by Moon Marine USA appears to be over. A total of 425 people in 28 states and the District of Columbia were sickened by the product, which was produced in, and imported from, India. Moon Fishery Pvt. Ltd. in India was the manufacturer of the frozen yellowfin tuna Nakaochi Scrape linked to the outbreak. Several state and federal labs found that the product was contaminated with both of the outbreak strains of Salmonella.
A total of 410 people were infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Bareilly, and a total of 15 people were infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Nchanga. Fifty five people were hospitalized, and there were no deaths. Although the government believes the outbreak is over, there may be more cases that appear since some food facilities may still have the contaminated product in their freezers and not be aware of the recall or outbreak.
You can see the timeline of events, including the epidemiological curve of the outbreak, at the CDC site. Since the last update, on June 21, 2012, when 390 people were sickened, the outbreak has grown by 35 people, and one more state, New Hampshire, is included.
The new cases are in these 12 states: Alabama (1), California (1), Georgia (2), Illinois (1), New Hampshire (2), New Jersey (5), New York (4), Pennsylvania (3), South Carolina (1), Texas (1), Virginia (11), and Wisconsin (3). The case breakdown for those sickened with Salmonella Bareilly is as follows: Alabama (5), Arkansas (1), California (8), Colorado (1), Connecticut (11), District of Columbia (3), Florida (1), Georgia (20), Illinois (30) Indiana (1), Kansas (1), Louisiana (6), Massachusetts (36), Maryland (39), Missouri (4), Mississippi (2), Nebraska (2), New Hampshire (2), New Jersey (39), New York (62), North Carolina (12), Pennsylvania (37), Rhode Island (6), South Carolina (5), Tennessee (4), Texas (14), Virginia (33), Vermont (1), and Wisconsin (24). The case breakdown for those sickened with Salmonella Nchanga is as follows: Georgia (2), Maryland (1), New Jersey (3), New York (6), Texas (1), Virginia (1), and Wisconsin (1).
Illness onset dates ranged from January 1, 2012 to July 7, 2012. The age range of patients is from less than 1 year to 86 years, with a median age of 30 years. Sixty percent of the patients were female.
Symptoms of salmonellosis, the illness caused by Salmonella bacteria, include vomiting, fever, nausea, severe stomach and abdominal cramps, and diarrhea. The elderly, infants, older people, pregnant women, and those with chronic illnesses and compromised immune systems are more likely to suffer severe illness and complications from these infections. If you eat sushi, especially spicy sushi tuna rolls, and become ill, contact your healthcare provider and tell her what happened to you.
