Thirty people are sick with Salmonella across seven states (California, Florida, Hawaii, New Jersey, Oregon, Texas, Washington).
On September 15th, 25 cases were reported across four states. The Oregon Department of Agriculture reported that “Seafood Company X” tested positive for Salmonella and recommended restaurants “hold” tuna from that company.
By September 27th, 30 cases had been reported across seven states.
Officials in Washington State were some of the first to identify a possible outbreak. Madison Riethman, an applied epidemiologist fellow at Clark Country Public Health presented to the county health board meeting on Wednesday stating, “The fact that little, old Clark County was able to be one of the first people to pick up on this ongoing outbreak really highlights the strengths of this system we’ve developed.”
Officials in Clark County first became aware of a possible outbreak on August 29th when five locals were diagnosed with Salmonella. The five cases did not appear to have any correlation until officials spoke with members of the Oregon Health Authority who reported 12 cases of Salmonella in Oregon with the same strain of Salmonella. Oregon officials learned through interviews that most of those with Salmonella had eaten raw fish prior to falling ill.
The CDC and FDA have become involved in the investigation and issued an official recall of tuna products from Relish Foods Inc.
Below is a list of the recalled items:
- 3- to 5-pound, vacuum-packed, frozen, whole tuna loins packed in 30-pound Newport brand master cases
- 5- to 8-pound, vacuum-packed, frozen, whole tuna loins packed in 30-pound Newport brand master cases
- 6-ounce, vacuum-packed tuna steaks in 10-pound Newport brand master cases
- 4-ounce, vacuum-packed tuna steaks in 10-pound Newport brand master cases
Symptoms of Salmonella infection, or salmonellosis, range widely, and are sometimes absent altogether. Typical symptoms of Salmonella infection appear 6 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food and last for 3 to 7 days without treatment.
Symptoms include:
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal Cramps
- Fever of 100-102F
- Bloody Diarrhea
- Headache
- Body Aches
Complications of Salmonella poisoning are more likely to occur among young children and people age 65 or older. Seek medical help and contact your local health officials if you think that you may be a part of this outbreak. Washington State Department of Health: 800-525-0127.