Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro has issued a statement about the multidrug-resistant Salmonella outbreak linked to raw chicken products that has sickened 92 people in 29 states. She is concerned that five years ago, she expressed concern to the USDA and CDC about another antibiotic-resistant Salmonella outbreak that sickened more than 600 people. And the same thing has happened again. The new outbreak was announced by the CDC on October 16, 2018.
She writes, “Five years ago to the day, I wrote a letter with my former colleague, the late Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, to CDC and USDA regarding their mismanaged investigation and lack of action in response to an antibiotic-resistant strain of Salmonella that contaminated chicken products across the country. 634 were infected across 29 states. Now, five years later, CDC has informed the public of another outbreak of antibiotic-resistant Salmonella in chicken that has been going on since January. It has already affected 92 people, 21 of which have been hospitalized. That is completely unacceptable.”
Another big issue with this outbreak is that there is no one company, brand, or product named. The CDC has said that “raw pet food” is to blame for one of the illnesses, and “raw chicken products” from 58 slaughterhouses are involved. There are no recalls issued, and no guidance for consumers, other than to tell them to handle chicken carefully and cook it thoroughly.
She goes on to say that the federal government and poultry industry need to start taking this problem seriously, as this new Salmonella outbreak may grow. And she wants congress to act on the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act, which would ban the use of medically important antibiotics in food animal production unless they are used to actually treat illness.
DeLauro assumed sponsorship of the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act earlier this year. Experts from the World Health Organization have said that antibiotic resistance is a medical emergency, and that we are heading towards a post-antibiotic era where a simple infection can kill.
The law firm of Pritzker Hageman won a $6.5 million judgment on behalf of a child who suffered brain damage after contracting an infection after eating contaminated Foster Farms chicken in that 2013 Salmonella outbreak. The child had to undergo brain surgery after eating chicken produced by Foster Farms.
Please be more specific and identify what ‘raw’ chicken products are the presumed origin of the resistant salmonella outbreak so we wont inadvertently fall victim to them!
The problem is that no one knows because the CDC and USDA haven’t named them! All they have said is that some people got sick after their pets ate raw chicken pet food, and some got sick after eating chicken from 58 different slaughterhouses. No brands were named, no companies, and no grocery stores. Public officials would only say that people need to handle raw chicken products carefully.