The Illinois breaded chicken breast Salmonella outbreak includes six patients, more than one-third of the 17 total illnesses in six states. The other patients live in Minnesota, Arizona, Indiana, Michigan, and New York. Eight people have been hospitalized, which is a very high percentage for a Salmonella outbreak.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that the number of people sickened in this outbreak is likely much higher than the total reported so far. That’s because most people who contract this infection do not see a doctor and recover without medical attention. In fact, the multiplier researchers use for Salmonella outbreaks is around 30, meaning that there could be more than 500 people sickened in this one particular outbreak.
Most of those sickened in this outbreak told investigators that they prepared and ate frozen raw breaded stuffed chicken products before they got sick. While they said they bought many different brands of this type of product from multiple stores, the Minnesota Department of Health found the outbreak strain of Salmonella in two samples of Kirkwood Chicken Cordon Bleu they purchased at a local store.
The preparation of these products can be problematic. Some of the patients cooked the chicken in the microwave or air fryer, which food safety experts do not recommend, since these appliances may not heat frozen foods evenly or cook them to safe final internal temperatures. In addition, the breading, which may also be contaminated, can drop off and contaminate other surface in the kitchen. Still, it is illegal for any company to sell a product that is contaminated with enough bacteria to make someone sick.
Symptoms of a Salmonella infection include a fever, nausea, vomiting, stomach and abdominal cramps and pain, and diarrhea that may be bloody. If you have eaten these types of products and have been sick with these symptoms, see your doctor. You may be part of this nationwide or Illinois breaded chicken breast Salmonella outbreak.
If you or a loved one have been sickened with a Salmonella infection after eating frozen raw breaded stuffed chicken breasts, please contact our experienced lawyers for help at 1-888-377-8900 or 612-338-0202.
