Five in Pa. Sickened by Salmonella Poisoning

One death, 76 illnesses linked to ground turkey

Pennsylvania is among 6 states with the highest number of people made sick from an outbreak of Salmonella Heidelberg, linked to eating ground turkey.

Federal officials said one person has died from Salmonella poisoning. Seventy-six people in 26 states have been sickened. The CDC did not reveal where the person who died became sick or any specific details about the death.

Officials reported the illnesses date back to March. On Monday the CDC said cultures of ground turkey from 4 retail locations between March 7 and June 27 showed Salmonella contamination.

The agency said preliminary information three of those samples were linked to the same production facility, but did not name the retailers or the manufacturers.

The illnesses were spread all over the country. The states with the highest number sickened were Michigan and Ohio, 10 illnesses each, while 9 illnesses were reported in Texas. Illinois had 7, California 6 and Pennsylvania had 5.

No cases were reported in Delaware or New Jersey.

A chart on the CDC's website shows cases have occurred every month since early March, with spikes in May and early June. The latest reported cases were in mid-July, although the CDC said some recent cases may not have been reported yet.

University of Pennsylvania bioethicist Art Caplan said the government's handling of the outbreak raises ethical questions about why the public wasn't warned sooner.

"You've got to protect the public health. That's their first and primary value - not industry, not any other goal. They have to warn as quickly as they think there's reasonable evidence for concern," Caplan said.

CDC spokeswoman Lola Russell said Tuesday it can take 3 to 4 weeks to confirm one case. Identifying an outbreak can take considerably longer than that when cases of foodborne illness occur sporadically, in several states, as has happened in the current outbreak, she said.
Russell said the CDC isn't advising the public to avoid eating ground turkey, but does urge people to cook it properly.

Ground turkey is considered safe to eat when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. For turkey patties or burgers, internal temperatures on each side should be measured.

Other government advice:

  • Refrigerate raw meat and poultry within two hours after purchase, one hour if temperatures in the house exceed 90 F.
  • Refrigerate cooked meat and poultry within two hours after cooking.
  • Wash hands with warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling raw meat and poultry.

The CDC said most people infected with Salmonella bacteria develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most people recover without treatment.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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