Washington DC has two confirmed cases of Salmonella poisoning, but has not issued a health alert because a source of the Salmonella Bareilly infection has not yet been identified, Najma Roberts, a spokeswoman for the District of Columbia Department of Health, told Food Poisoning Bulletin in an interview today.
Health officials in DC have been involved in the investigation of a multi-state Salmonella Bareilly outbreak since the end of January, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notified them of two confirmed cases, Roberts said. At least one of them required hospitalization.
A health alert cannot be issued until a source, foodborne or otherwise, of the illness is identified, she said.
Salmonella is pathogen which, if ingested can cause an infection called salmonellosis. Symptoms of Salmonella poisoning include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Sometimes there is also blood in the stool, fever, chills, headache and muscle pain, according to the CDC.
