The Fareway chicken salad Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak has more than doubled, according to a new update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Now another 105 people in 6 states are sick. That means that at least 170 people are sick in this outbreak as of March 6, 2018.
The update says that the newly ill persons likely bought the contaminated Fareway chicken salad before it was recalled. The most recent illness began on February 18, 2018. Two more states have been added to the outbreak: Indiana, with one ill person, and South Dakota, with two ill persons.
The case count by state is: Illinois (9), Indiana (1), Iowa (149), Minnesota (3), Nebraska (5), South Dakota (2), and Texas (1). Illness onset dates range from January 8, 2018 to February 18, 2018. The patient age range is from 7 to 89 years, with a median age of 59. Sixty-two people have been hospitalized because their illnesses are so serious. No deaths have been reported.
That hospitalization rate for this Fareway chicken salad Salmonella outbreak, which is 36.5%, is very high. The typical hospitalization rate for a Salmonella outbreak is only 20%. That could be because the Salmonella strain in this outbreak is virulent, or there could be a very large number of Salmonella bacteria in the salad.
Another reason the hospitalization rate is so high could be that some of the isolates in this outbreak are antibiotic resistant. Five isolates from ill people contained genes for resistance to all or some of the following antibiotics: amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, ampicillin, cefoxitin, ceftriaxone, gentamicin, streptomycin, sulfamethoxazole, and tetracycline. The update states, “This resistance is unlikely to affect the treatment of most people, but some infections might be difficult to treat with antibiotics usually prescribed and may require a different antibiotic.”
One hundred fifty nine people have been interviewed. Of those, 131, or 82%, said they ate chicken salad from Fareway stores the week before they got sick. Triple T Specialty Meats produced the chicken salad that Fareway sold. Epidemiologic and laboratory evidence has found that this chicken salad is the likely source of this outbreak.
The chicken salad was sold from the deli at Fareway stores in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota from January 4, 2018, to February 9, 2018. Some people may have frozen the salad and stored it in home freezers. The salad was recalled on February 22, 2018.
If you have this salad, throw it away immediately, even if some of it was eaten and no one got sick. Bacteria can cluster in very tiny clumps and not be distributed evenly throughout a food. Put the salad in a sealed bag in the garbage. Then wash and sanitize countertops in your kitchen, as well as drawers or shelves in the fridge or freezer where the salad was stored.
If you don’t remember the date when you bought the salad from Fareway, don’t eat it. Throw it away or take it back to the store for a refund.
The symptoms of a Salmonella infection include nausea, abdominal cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea that may be bloody. Symptoms usually begin 12 to 72 hours after eating food contaminated with the pathogenic bacteria, but it may take up to 2 weeks for some people to feel ill. If you believe you have been sickened in this Fareway chicken salad Salmonella outbreak and have been experiencing these symptoms, see your doctor. Even if you recover completely after this infection, there are long term health consequences, including endocarditis, arthritis, and high blood pressure that may crop up later.
The experienced attorneys at Pritzker Hageman law firm, located in Minnesota, represent and help people who have been sickened by contaminated food such as Fareway chicken salad. We get answers, compensation for those who have been injured, and justice through our work. Our experienced lawyers represent clients and families of children sickened with bacterial infections in personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits against food manufacturers, grocery stores, food processors, restaurants, daycare centers, schools, and others. Please note that class action lawsuits are usually not appropriate for outbreak victims because these types of cases are very unique.
