Don't Lick The Spoon, CDC Warns NY Amid Flour Salmonella Outbreak

NEW YORK CITY — Don't lick that spoon unless you want salmonella, New Yorkers.

That's the warning from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention doctors after they linked a salmonella outbreak to raw flour.

Twelve people have been infected in 11 states, including a single case in New York, according to the CDC.

"Most people reported eating raw dough or batter made with flour before they got sick," a CDC notice states.

"Flour was the only common ingredient in the raw dough or batter people reported eating. Investigators are working to identify a specific brand of flour linked to illnesses."

The CDC didn't identify exactly where in the Empire State, whether New York City or elsewhere, the salmonella case unfolded.

But the outbreak potentially is more widespread than the 12 reported cases because some patients recover without medical care.

Three of the 12 patients were hospitalized, according to the CDC.

Reported infections beyond New York were in California, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, and Virginia, the outbreak data shows.

Unbaked flour is considered a raw food that can contain germs like salmonella. People can get sick after eating or tasting raw dough or batter. Children are at risk of becoming sick after handling raw dough used for crafts or play clay.

Salmonella and other bacteria are killed when flour is cooked or baked.

Common symptoms of salmonella include diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps. Symptoms can start anywhere between six hours to six days after swallowing the bacteria.

Most people recover in a week without treatment. But children younger than 5 years and adults 65 years and older — and people with compromised immune systems — may experience more severe illnesses that require hospitalization, experts said.

The CDC provides several tips to avoid a salmonella infection from flour, including not eating raw flour, washing your hands and cooking utensils, and keeping raw flour, dough, and batter separate from foods that won’t be cooked.

Call a health care provider right away if you or your child have:

• Diarrhea and a fever higher than 102 degrees
• Diarrhea for more than three days with no improvement
• Bloody diarrhea
• Vomiting, cannot keep liquids down
• Dehydration, with these symptoms:
  • Not peeing much
  • Dry mouth and throat
  • Feeling dizzy when standing up