Salmonella Saintpaul Outbreak
Thursday, July 10th, 2008
Jared Faerber of The Faerber Law Firm.
As of July 6, 2008, the CDC confirmed that since April 10, 2008, at least 971 persons infected with salmonella Saintpaul with an identical genetic fingerprint have been confirmed in 40 states and the District of Columbia. The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire , New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. The largest concentration of outbreak cases is in Texas, where over 381 illnesses have been confirmed.
Over the past few weeks, the FDA, CDC, and state health laboratories have tested thousands of tomato samples in an effort to pinpoint the source of the outbreak. Those testing efforts have thus far failed to locate the salmonella Saintpaul bacteria. Accordingly, the CDC and FDA have now turned their attention to products commonly served with tomatoes in salsa or guacamole - i.e. jalapeno peppers, onions, and cilantro - as possible sources for the outbreak. Testing of those items is now underway in laboratories all over the United States.
The confirmed illnesses have onset dates between April 10th and June 26, 2008. The patients range from <1 to 99 years of age. The contaminated population is divided evenly among females and males. At least 189 persons have been hospitalized.
In Utah, there are only 2 confirmed cases of salmonella Saintpaul to date. However, this likely greatly understates the actual number of illnesses because many people with salmonella illness do not have their urine, blood, or stool specimens tested. The true number of salmonella infections associated with this outbreak is likely 40 times the number of those reported.
For the latest FDA information on the investigation of this outbreak, click here.
If you or a loved one have tested positive for salmonella since April 1, 2008, please contact us immediately for a free, no-obligation consultation.