More Mysterious Salmonella Illnesses Found In PA; Source Unknown

PENNSYLVANIA — A month after the CDC said four Pennsylvania residents were infected with salmonella in a multi-state outbreak, that number has risen to six.

Some 592 people across 36 states were sickened by salmonella, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in an update last week. Federal health officials are still looking for the food source linked to the illness.

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In neighboring Virginia, 54 people have been sickened in the outbreak, while five people have been sickened in New Jersey.

Texas and Oklahoma have reported the highest number of people infected with salmonella in the current outbreak with about 100 or more cases in both states.

State and local public health officials are interviewing people about the foods they ate in the week they got sick, federal health officials said.

People who became sick ranged in age from 1 to 97, with a median age of 36. Fifty-seven percent of people who were sickened were female.

Some 363 people had their information available and 116 of them — or 32 percent — were hospitalized, federal health officials said. No deaths have been reported.

The CDC said there may be more people who got sick than the numbers reflect, since many people recover from salmonella without getting medical care or getting tested.

Health officials found a strain of salmonella in a takeout condiment cup containing cilantro and lime in late September. The cup also contained onions, the CDC said, but none were left by the time it was tested. The agency said they couldn't find which food item was contaminated since there were multiple items in one container.

The CDC says to call your doctor if you experience salmonella symptoms, including the following.

• A fever higher than 102 degrees.
• Diarrhea, including bloody diarrhea or diarrhea that has continued for more than three days.
• Vomiting.
• Signs of dehydration, such as not urinating, dry mouth and throat, feeling dizzy when standing up.

Most people infected with salmonella experience diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps within six hours to six days of eating contaminated food.

Visit the CDC website to read more about the current multi-state salmonella outbreak.