The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have updated the Salmonella I 4,[5],12:b:- outbreak linked to Kratom products. The case count now stands at 40 sickened, with 14 hospitalized. That is an increase of 12 patients since the last update on February 20, 2018. Seven more states have reported ill people: Delaware (1), Georgia (1), Minnesota (1), Missouri (1), Virginia (1), Washington (1) and Wisconsin (1).
And the outbreak strain of Salmonella I 4,[5],12:b:- was found in two samples of leftover kratom powder collected from ill persons in North Dakota and Utah. The CDC recommends that people not consume kratom in any form.
Kratom is also known as Thank, Kakuam, Thom, Ketom, and Biak. It is a plant consumed for its stimulant effects and as an opioid substitute. But no common brands or suppliers of these products have been identified as part of this outbreak yet. Because no common source has been found, public health officials are telling people to avoid all kratom products.
The case count by state is: Alabama (1), Arizona (1), California (3), Colorado (1), Delaware (1), Florida (1), Georgia (1), Kansas (1), Kentucky (1), Louisiana (1), Massachusetts (1), Michigan (1), Minnesota (1), Missouri (1), North Carolina (2), North Dakota (1), New York (2), Ohio (2), Oklahoma (3), Oregon (2), Pennsylvania (2), South Carolina (1), Tennessee (1), Utah (2), Virginia (2), Washington (2), and Wisconsin (2). The patient age range is from 6 to 67 years. Illness onset dates range from October 10, 2017 to February 13, 2018.
Health officials are still collecting different leftover and unopened kratom products to test for the outbreak strain of Salmonella. The ill person in North Dakota purchased S.K. Herbalist brand kratom powder from the website soapkorner.com. And the ill person in Utah purchased the product from the website kratoma.com.
Ill persons are being interviewed about what they ate the week before they got sick. Seventeen of twenty-four people interviewed consumed kratom in pills, powder, or tea. Most people consumed the powdered form. Three people bought kratom from retail locations in several states, and ten bought kratom from online retailers.
The symptoms of a Salmonella infection include fever, abdominal cramps, upset stomach, nausea, vomiting, muscle aches, and diarrhea that may be bloody. If you have consumed kratom and have experienced these symptoms, see your doctor.
Pritzker Hageman, America’s food safety law firm, successfully represents people harmed by adulterated food products in outbreaks throughout the United States. Its lawyers have won hundreds of millions of dollars for survivors of foodborne illness, including the largest verdict in American history for a person harmed by E. coli who subsequently developed hemolytic uremic syndrome. The firm also publishes Food Poisoning Bulletin, a respected source for food safety news and information. Pritzker Hageman lawyers are regularly interviewed by major news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal.
