Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) wrote a letter dated February 5, 2106 to the acting commissioner of the FDA, Dr. Stephen Ostroff, about the ongoing multistate outbreak of Salmonella infections linked to imported cucumbers. Food Poisoning Bulletin told you two weeks ago that the CDC had updated their investigation into the outbreak and stated that 50 more ill persons had been sickened in the last two months. The continuation of the outbreak is puzzling, since the cucumbers in question were recalled in September 2015 and the vegetable does not have a long shelf life. The letter expresses DeLauro's concerns about the outbreak, and states that "this is a public health crisis." She adds that the FDA "needs to do everything within its power to expeditiously identify the ongoing source of … [Read more...]
CDC Updates Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Cucumbers
It has been more than two months since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated the Salmonella Poona outbreak linked to imported cucumbers. Since that last update on November 19, 2015, 50 more ill persons have been reported from 16 states. And two more people in California have died, making the total number of deaths in this outbreak six, even though the Salmonella infection was not a "contributing factor" in those two deaths. The number of illnesses has declined substantially since the peak in August and September, but the number of Salmonella illnesses reported every month should be about 1, not 25. Of the 38 ill persons recently sickened, 24 were interviewed. Twenty-four, or 63% of them, reported eating cucumbers the week before they got sick. And since … [Read more...]
Cucumber Salmonella Outbreak Grows Again, 767 Sick
At least 767 people in 36 states are now part of the Salmonella outbreak linked to imported cucumbers. Since the last update on October 6, the outbreak has expanded to a new state, Florida, and 35 new cases from 14 states have been added. There have been four deaths and 157 hospitalizations. About 50 percent of those sickened are children under 18. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) say the outbreak, which they have linked to cucumbers imported from Mexico and distributed by Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce, is ongoing. Two cucumber recalls have been issued. The first, on September 4, 2015, by Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce for cucumbers sold under the “Limited Edition” brand label during the period from … [Read more...]
Salmonella in Cucumbers Sickens 40 in Wisconsin
A 35-state cucumber Salmonella outbreak includes 40 cases in Wisconsin. The outbreak, which has been linked to cucumbers grown in Mexico and distributed by Andrew & Williamson, includes 732 people, 150 of whom have been hospitalized. Four people have died. About 50 percent of the case patients are children under 18, an age group that is at high risk for food poisoning and for serious complications of foodborne infections. Anyone who has eaten cucumbers and has suffered the symptoms of a Salmonella infection, should see a doctor. Because the outbreak strain of Salmonella Poona is not resistant to antibiotics, it will respond to treatment that can help alleviate symptoms and clear the infection. And tests on a stool sample can determine if the illness is part of the … [Read more...]
Salmonella in Cucumbers Sickens 37 in Minnesota
A 35-state cucumber Salmonella outbreak includes 37 cases in Minnesota where some of those sickened ate at Red Lobster restaurants. The outbreak, which has been linked to cucumbers grown in Mexico and distributed by Andrew & Williamson, includes 732 people, 150 of whom have been hospitalized. Four people have died. About 50 percent of the case patients are children under 18, an age group that is at high risk for food poisoning and for serious complications of foodborne infections. Anyone who has eaten cucumbers and has suffered the symptoms of a Salmonella infection, should see a doctor. Because the outbreak strain of Salmonella Poona is not resistant to antibiotics, it will respond to treatment that can help alleviate symptoms and clear the infection. And tests on a stool … [Read more...]
Outbreak Not Andrew & Williamson’s First
The nationwide Salmonella outbreak linked to imported Andrew & Williamson cucumbers is not the first illness outbreak linked to produce imported by that company. In 1997, a hepatitis A outbreak that sickened 260 faculty members and students in four different school districts in Calhoun county, Michigan was linked to strawberries sold by A&W. One student needed a liver transplant after this outbreak. A report that was part of a TED talk at American University states that strawberries served in school lunches "were traced to a processing plant in San Diego, known as Andrew and Williamson." The company shipped strawberries from the same lot to schools in five other states, including Arizona, southern California, Georgia, Iowa, and Tennessee. As a result, the CDC and local … [Read more...]
Cucumbers Serve Up Salmonella for Third Straight Summer
Cucumbers contaminated with Salmonella have sickened hundreds of Americans for the second summer in a row. An ongoing outbreak of Salmonella Poona linked to imported cucumbers has sickened 285 people in 27 states. Fifty three people have been hospitalized, one person in California died. Last summer, an outbreak of similar size - 275 people in 29 states and one fatality, was linked to cucumbers from the the Delmarva (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia) region of the country. Those illnesses occurred between May and September of 2014. Between January and April in 2013, a Salmonella outbreak linked to cucumbers from Mexico sickened 84 people in 18 states. Those cucumbers were supplied by Daniel Cardenas Izabal and Miracle Greenhouse of Culican, Mexico. In connection with the current … [Read more...]
