The FDA says that the Salmonella Newport onion outbreak is now over after sickening at least 1,127 people in 48 states. FDA’s traceback investigation identified a packing facility and multiple farms in California that supplied red onions during the “time of interest.”
Joint field-level investigations by the FDA, California Department of Public Health, and California Department of Food and Agriculture were initiated according to traceback investigations. But by that time, most of the product had already been harvested and distributed. The FDA has compiled more than 2000 product and environmental samples.
The government found a variety of genetic strain of Salmonella Newport in those samples, but a genetic match to the outbreak strain has not been identified. But the investigation is continuing with additional sample analysis.
While the outbreak is over, recalled products should no longer be available to purchase, but some recalled onions and products made with them may still be in consumers’ homes and freezers. If you purchased any of the recalled products, throw them away. If you can’t tell if your onions are part of the recall, or if a product contains thee onions, throw it out. Both the FDA and USDA have compiled lists of these products.
The patient case count by state is: Alaska (25), Alabama (2), Arizona (39), Arkansas (2), California (128), Colorado (32), Connecticut (2), Delaware (2), Florida (8), Georgia (11), Hawaii (3), Idaho (43), Illinois (54), Indiana (4), Iowa (31), Kansas (3), Kentucky (3), Maine (6), Maryland (7), Massachusetts (2), Michigan (47), Minnesota (19), Mississippi (5), Missouri (11), Montana (72), Nebraska (10), Nebraska (10), Nevada (11), New Hampshire (1), New Jersey (12), New Mexico (3), New York (14), North Carolina (6), North Dakota (9), Ohio (11), Oklahoma (1), Oregon (109), Pennsylvania (27), Rhode Island (3), South Carolina (1), South Dakota (23), Tennessee (7), Texas (2), Utah (115), Virginia (10), Washington (150), West Virginia (3), Wisconsin (11), and Wyoming (27).
The patient illness onset dates range from June 19 to September 11, 2020. The age range is from less than 1 year to 102 years. Of 705 people who gave information about their condition to investigators, 167 were hospitalized. No deaths were reported.
Symptoms of a Salmonella infection include a fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal and stomach cramps, and diarrhea that may be bloody. While most people recover without medical attention, some can become sick enough through sepsis or dehydration to need hospitalization. And even people who recover from this infection can develop lifelong complications such as reactive arthritis.
If you have been ill with these symptoms, see your doctor. You may be part of this Salmonella Newport onion outbreak.
If you or a loved one have been sickened with a Salmonella infection after eating recalled precut melons, please contact our experienced attorneys for help at 1-888-377-8900 or 612-338-0202.
