The fresh onions Salmonella Oranienburg outbreak is over with at least 1040 sickened in 39 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia, with 260 hospitalized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That’a an increase of 148 more cases since the last update that was issued on November 16, 2021.
The patient case count by state is: Alabama (7), Arkansas (19), California (15), Colorado (3), Connecticut (5), Florida (75), Georgia (5), Hawaii (1), Illinois (54), Indiana (2), Iowa (4), Kansas (17), Kentucky (10), Louisiana (10), Maryland (66), Massachusetts (15), Michigan (12), Minnesota (27), Mississippi (3), Missouri (59), Nebraska (10), New Jersey (5), New Mexico (16), New York (23), North Carolina (26), North Dakota (4), Ohio (8), Oklahoma (129), Oregon (2), Pennsylvania (13), Puerto Rico (4), South Carolina (7), South Dakota (9), Tennessee (15), Texas (248), Utah (3), Virginia (71), Washington (1), Washington D.C. (1), West Virginia (1), and Wisconsin (31). Illness onset dates range from May 31, 2021 to January 1, 2022. The patient age range is from less than one year to 101. Of 778 people who gave information to public health officials, 260, or 33%, were hospitalized.
The patient case count is likely much higher than indicated, because many people do not see a doctor when they get sick and were not diagnosed. The multiplier that investigators use in Salmonella outbreaks is 30.3, which means that more than 31,000 people could be sick in this outbreak.
Of 407 people were were interviewed, 294, or 72%, said they ate or maybe ate raw onions or dishes likely made with raw onions before they got sick. Two companies, ProSource Produce LLC and Keeler Family Farms, issued recalls of onions that were imported from Chihuahua, Mexico. Secondary recalls of products made with those onions were also issued. The FDA issued a chart with all recalls listed.
If you purchased fresh red, yellow, or white onions imported by those companies, do not eat them and do not use them in recipes. You can throw the onions away in a sealed package in a secure trash can, or you can take them back to the store where you bought them for a full refund.
Symptoms of Salmonella food poisoning usually take six hours to six days to appear. People usually experience a fever, headache, chills, nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, abdominal cramps and pain, and diarrhea that may be bloody. If you have eaten fresh onions, especially if they were uncooked, and have been sick with those symptoms, see your doctor. You may be part of this fresh onions Salmonella Oranienburg outbreak.
If you or a loved one have been sickened with a Salmonella Oranienburg infection after eating recalled fresh red, white, or yellow onions, please contact our experienced attorneys for help at 1-888-377-8900 or 612-338-0202.
