Salmonella Outbreak In 12 States Linked To Papayas, Texas Included: CDC

HOUSTON, TX — Texas is included in a multi-state salmonella outbreak that has sickened 47 people and left at least one person dead. The salmonella has been traced to yellow Maradol papayas, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. No recall has been announced but the CDC is warning that consumers don't eat the papayas, restaurants don't serve them and that retailers do not sell the fruit.

The one death attributed to the salmonella outbreak was reported in New York City. At least 12 others have had to be hospitalized and the cases have been reported in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, Iowa, Minnesota, Utah, Texas and Louisiana.

The most number of cases have been reported in New York and New Jersey, where there have been 13 and 12 cases, respectively. Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia have seen the second-highest number of cases, where there have been four, five and six cases, respectively. All other states have seen one case of salmonella linked to the papayas. No further information could be found on the location of the case in Texas.

The CDC is still investigating to determine the point in the supply chain where the papayas became infected.
In the meantime, the CDC is offering the following tips to consumers who may have bought the infected papayas:

• If you aren’t sure if the papaya you bought is a yellow Maradol papaya, you can ask the place of purchase. Restaurants and retailers can ask their supplier.
• When in doubt, don’t eat, sell, or serve them and throw them out.
• Wash and sanitize countertops as well as drawers or shelves in refrigerators where papayas were stored.

Illnesses were reported between May 21 and June 28, according to the CDC. Those that fell ill range in age from less than a year to 95.

So far, health officials have identified at least one illness cluster in Maryland where several people reported purchasing papayas from the same location of grocery store. Lab tests on five yellow Maradol papayas recently collected at a Baltimore retailer, as part of an ongoing salmonella case investigation, confirmed that three of the five yellow papayas tested were contaminated with salmonella.

>>>Click here for more information from the CDC on the signs and symptoms of salmonella.

Image via CDC