At least 246 people in 25 states are now sick in the JBS Tolleson ground beef Salmonella outbreak. Fifty-nine of those patients have been hospitalized, which is 35% of ill persons. That’s an increase of 126 more patients since the last update on October 23, 2018. There more states reported patients: Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Missouri.
The case count by state is: Arizona (42), California (66), Colorado (50), Connecticut (1), Hawaii (4), Idaho (3), Iowa (1), Illinois (1), Indiana (1), Kansas (1), Kentucky (1), Massachusetts (1), Minnesota (2), Missouri (3), Montana (8), New Mexico (9), Nevada (3), Ohio (9), Oklahoma (4), Oregon (1), South Dakota (6), Texas (13), Utah (9), Washington (3), and Wyoming (4). Illnesses started on dates ranging from August 5, 2018 to October 16, 2018;.
JBS Tolleson recalled 6.9 million pounds of ground beef products on October 4, 2018. The beef is labeled with the establishment number “EST. 267” inside the USDA mark of inspection. More than 100 retailers sold the recalled beef. You can see a list of stores, by state, at the USDA website.
Epidemiologic, traceback, and laboratory evidence indicates that ground beef produced by JBS Tolleson is a likely source of this outbreak. Officials in Arizona collected an unopened package of ground beef from an ill person’s home. The outbreak strain of Salmonella Newport was identified in the ground beef. And whole genome sequencing (WGS) found that the Salmonella in the ground beef was closely related genetically to the Salmonella in samples taken from patients.
Attorney Fred Pritzker said, “Even when you recover from a Salmonella infection, there is still a risk you will develop a serious complication in the future.” Call 1-888-377-8900 for help.
Food safety lawyer Fred Pritzker, who has represented many clients in Salmonella outbreak lawsuits, said, “No one should get sick because they bought ground beef from a grocery store. Producers and processors are going to have to control for this pathogenic bacteria so people stop getting so sick they have to be hospitalized.”
If you have eaten ground beef, especially if it wasn’t cooked to well done, and have been ill with the symptoms of salmonellosis, see your doctor. Those symptoms include nausea, stomach cramps, a fever, vomiting, and diarrhea that may be bloody. You may be part of this ground beef Salmonella outbreak.
This product must always be handled with care, because it may be contaminated with Salmonella and other types of bacteria. When you work with it, avoid cross-contamination between the raw beef and objects in your kitchen, and other foods. Wash all surfaces with soap and water after the beef is cooked. And cook all ground beef to a final internal temperature of 160*F and measure that temperature with a reliable food thermometer.
