The raw ground tuna Salmonella Newport outbreak has ended after sickening 15 people in 8 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That tuna, produced at JK Fish in Vietnam, was imported by Jensen Tuna in Louisiana.
The case count by state is: Colorado (1), Connecticut (1), Illinois (1), Iowa (1), Minnesota (1), New York (2), North Dakota (4), and Washington (4). Two people were hospitalized in this outbreak. Illness onset dates range from January 8, 2019 to March 31, 2019. The patient age range was from 24 to 85 years. No deaths were reported.
Officials used the PulseNet system to find people sickened in this outbreak. Whole genome sequencing performed on the isolates taken from ill persons showed that they were closely related genetically.
Epidemiological evidence and traceback evidence indicates that frozen, raw ground tuna from JK Fish in Vietnam, imported by Jensen Tuna, was the likely source of this outbreak. In interviews, 75% of patients who were interviewed said they ate sushi from a restaurant or grocery store the week before they got sick. This is significantly higher than the results of a survey taken by healthy people during the same time period. Of the nine people who gave public health officials information about the type of sushi they ate, 100% said they ate an item containing raw tuna or raw “spicy tuna.”
The raw tuna used by the restaurants the patients patronized used frozen ground tuna supplied by Jensen Tuna. The FDA put products from JK Fish on import alert. Jensen Tuna recalled frozen ground tuna products on April 15, 2019.
Symptoms of a Salmonella infection include fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, stomach and abdominal cramps, and diarrhea that may be bloody. Although most people recover from this infection, some can experience long term complications such as high blood pressure, endocarditis, and irritable bowel syndrome. If you have eaten sushi and have been ill with these symptoms, you may be part of this raw ground tuna Salmonella Newport outbreak; see your doctor.
The law firm of Pritzker Hageman helps people sickened by contaminated food protect their legal rights, and get compensation and justice. Our lawyers represent patients and the families of children sickened with bacterial infections in personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits against retailers, food producers, food processors, restaurants, schools, and others. Class action lawsuits may not be appropriate for outbreak victims because the cases are so unique.
