A Salmonella outbreak at the Jewel store in Tinley Park, IL may have been caused by deli meat, according to local reports. After being contacted about reported illnesses by the Cook County Health Department on Wednesday, the store, located at 171st St, and Harlem Ave., closed its deli for several hours to deep clean the are and remove foods.
There are three confirmed cases of Salmonella infection, called salmonellosis, and six probable cases. Test results on the probable cases are pending.
Store employees have been asked to submit stool samples so health authorities can determine how the bacteria made its way into the deli area. Food poisoning from Salmonella happens when people eat food that is contaminated with microscopic amounts of fecal matter. Salmonella bacteria typically live in the intestines of humans and other animals. Sometimes meat and poultry are contaminated with waste or intestinal bacteria during slaughter. Other times, food workers who do not wash hands carefully after using the restroom contaminate food.
Commercial settings such as restaurants, delis, bakeries and catering facilities are associated with about 45 percent of Salmonella outbreaks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There have been a number of food poisoning outbreaks caused by deli meats, according to the CDC. In 2002 , deli meat contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes caused a multistate outbreak that sickened 54 people. Eight people died.
Symptoms of Salmonella poisoning include fever, vomiting, diarrhea that is sometimes bloody. If you ate deli meat or other food from the Jewel deli and have developed these symptoms, see a doctor and mention your possible exposure.
