Salmonella in bean sprouts produced by Wonton Food Inc. of New York has sickened 68 people in 10 states, according to the Vermont Department of Health. Eleven people have been hospitalized.
Vermont has been working with other state health departments, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on an investigation of the outbreak which includes three people from Vermont who were not hospitalized and all have recovered.
Some of those who were sickened ate sprouts on food they purchased at restaurants. Restaurants and grocery stores have been advised not to serve or sell bean sprouts from this firm.
The CDC has not yet announced which other states are involved in the outbreak. Massachusetts is a likely candidate as health officials in that state told a local news station yesterday that have been investigating Salmonella illnesses that may be linked to cases in other states.
Symptoms of Salmonella poisoning, which include fever, abdominal pain and diarrhea, usually develop six to 72 hours after exposure and last about a week. For some people, the diarrhea may be so severe that hospitalization is required. These patients are at greater risk of developing a more serious, sometimes fatal, infection that spreads from the intestines to the blood stream.
At this point a recall has not been posted on the company’s website or on the FDA’s. Consumers who have purchased this product should not eat it.
