26 Salmonella Cases Reported In IL Linked To Bad Beef: IDPH

ILLINOIS — Illinois health officials are warning residents to beware of a new outbreak of Salmonella cases across the state connected to undercooked ground beef, the agency announced on Wednesday.

So far, the Illinois Department of Public Health has reported 26 confirmed Salmonella cases linked to tainted beef. The state said that the specific source of the bad beef has not been found but that all the illnesses were reported across Illinois starting on April 25 and continuing through May 18.

The state expects more confirmed cases to be reported, and state health officials said that all the illnesses were reported after the patients ate undercooked ground beef.

Cases were reported in Chicago along with in DuPage, Cook, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties, the IDPH said.

Food contaminated with Salmonella bacteria does not usually look, smell or taste spoiled, health officials said. Anyone can become sick with a Salmonella infection. According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, infants, children, seniors, and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of serious illness because their immune systems are fragile.

State health officials are urging residents to follow safe food-handling measures when preparing and eating ground beef, which should be cooked to a temperature of at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

Some cases in other states are also under investigation by the CDC and state health departments, but Illinois has reported the largest outbreak of cases.

The IDPH is working with local health departments, the CDC, and the USD to identify additional cases and to perform lab testing, officials said. The agencies are also working to identify the source of the contaminated ground beef.

Salmonella can be found in a variety of foods, including beef, chicken and pork. For this reason, it is important to follow proper hygiene for hands and utensils and to cook foods to the proper temperature, health officials said.