A Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak in Canada that is linked to frozen Celebrate brand profiteroles and eclairs has sickened at least 73 people in Canada, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. Nineteen people have been hospitalized because they are so sick. And two deaths have been reported, although public health officials have not determined whether salmonellosis was a contributing factor in their deaths.
The patient case count by province is: British Columbia (27), Alberta (12), Saskatchewan (9), Manitoba (10), Ontario (13) and Quebec (2). Illness onset dates range from November 2018 and late March 2019. The patient age range is from 1 to 88 years.
Many of those sickened said they ate Celebrate brand classic/classical or egg nog flavored profiteroles, or mini chocolate eclairs that they bought at various grocery stores before they got sick. A food recall has been issued for those products.
The illness reporting period for this outbreak is between four and five weeks, so more illnesses may occur. It takes time between when a person feels sick, sees their doctor, has tests taken, and the test results are reported to health authorities.
The outbreak notice tells people to throw out any of the recalled products they may have in their homes. Your fridge or freezer should be cleaned and sanitized once the products are discarded. Then wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, after cleaning, and after handling these products.
Symptoms of a Salmonella food poisoning infection include fever, chills, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, headache, and diarrhea that may be bloody. Most people get better without medical treatment, but some do become so ill, usually with sepsis, that they need to be hospitalized.
And even after you recover completely from this infection, there are long term health consequences that can affect you. Those include reactive arthritis, endocarditis, irritable bowel syndrome, and high blood pressure.
