19 Salmonella Cases Confirmed in Michigan

By Sarah Tompkins, Detroit Free Press

Jul. 11–At least 19 Michiganders have fallen ill from the recent Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak that has stricken multiple states and is associated with consuming raw tomatoes and possibly other fresh foods, the Michigan Department of Community Health said today.

Five people have been sent to hospitals for treatment, including one from Eaton County and two from Ingham County, state health officials said. Remaining victims are recovering, the MDCH said.

Victims of the food poisoning range in age from 2 to 78, and cases are present in nine Michigan counties including Berrien (1), Clinton (1), Eaton (3), Ingham (6), Kent (2), Ottawa (1), Shiawassee (2), Washtenaw (1), and Wayne (2), the MDCH reported.

Since April the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported more than 1,000 linked Salmonella Saintpaul illnesses in 42 states, the District of Columbia and Canada.

Evidence continues to point to certain raw tomatoes as the source of the outbreak, but new information shows that raw jalapeno and serrano peppers and cilantro may be linked to the ongoing outbreak, federal and state investigators said.

Health officials advise elderly people and infants to avoid jalapeno and serrano peppers because these age groups are at highest risk of severe illness.

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration advise consumers to limit tomato consumption to specific types from specific sources. Consumers should avoid eating raw red plum, red Roma, or red round tomatoes except for those grown in certain areas. Safe tomatoes include cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, tomatoes sold with the vine still attached or those grown at home, according to the FDA.

Please visit the FDA’s Web site for a complete list of safe tomatoes and those to avoid at http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/tomatoes.html.

Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections. Symptoms include fever, diarrhea (often bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances the organism can get into the bloodstream and cause more severe illness.

MDA and FDA workers are continuing to investigate the outbreak.

For more information on this outbreak, please visit MDA’s Web site at www.michigan.gov/mda or the FDA’s Web site at http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/tomatoes.html#retailers or the CDC Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/saintpaul/.

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