The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are issuing warnings over recalled eggs sold in multiple states linked to an outbreak of the Salmonella bacteria.
Salmonella is linked to eggs recalled by Milo’s Poultry Farms, located in Bonduel, Wisconsin, according to a notice published by the FDA on Sept. 6.
Eggs subject to the recall were sent to retailers and food service locations in Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin, the FDA notice said. Milo’s Poultry Farms has notified customers that received the eggs, it said.
So far, 65 people from nine states have been sickened by the same Salmonella strain, with 24 hospitalizations and no deaths, the CDC said in an update on Sept. 6. The illnesses started on dates between May 23 and Aug. 10 of this year, the agency said.
A map published by the CDC and FDA shows cases were reported in California, Utah, Colorado, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, and Virginia. Wisconsin, with 42 cases, and Illinois, with 11 cases, reported the bulk of the Salmonella infections associated with the eggs.
But the CDC added that “true number of sick people” due to the bacterial outbreak is likely higher than what it is reporting. The outbreak may also not be limited to the states that have reported Salmonella cases because it can take three to four weeks to tell if an individual “is part of an outbreak,” the agency said.
Meanwhile, many people who are infected with Salmonella recover without any medical treatment and are never tested, it said.
The CDC investigation found that the 65 people who contracted Salmonella from the outbreak ranged from 2 to 88 years old, while 56 percent were female and 46 percent were male.
The CDC said that the eggs were labeled either as Milo’s Poultry Farms or Tony’s Fresh Market. The packaging information can be found on the FDA’s recall page.
“State and local public health officials are interviewing people about the foods they ate in the week before they got sick. Several sick people reported eating at the same restaurants before getting sick,” the CDC notice said.
If several people who were not treated shopped or ate at the same location “within several days of each other, it suggests that the contaminated food item was served or sold there,” it added.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has said in a statement that it identified four clusters of the illness at restaurants where the recalled eggs were served.
The FDA, meanwhile, said in its notice that retailers, restaurants, and consumers should not serve or sell the recalled eggs and that those who purchased them should throw the eggs away.
“If you stored the eggs without the original packaging and can’t tell if it is part of the recall, throw them away,” the agency said. “Wash hands, utensils, and surfaces with hot, soapy water before and after handling raw eggs and raw egg-containing food.”
Salmonella Symptoms
Salmonella is a bacteria that can cause vomiting, nausea, fever, diarrhea, and stomach pain. Most people recover from an infection without any treatment within a week, according to the CDC’s website.But an infection can become more severe in infants and young children, individuals aged 65 and older, those with weakened immune systems, and people taking certain medications, including those that reduce stomach acidity.
According to health officials, in rare cases, salmonella can infect the blood, joints, nervous system, the brain or spinal fluid, and the urinary tract. Such complications can lead to death or hospitalization.
“Some people with salmonella infection develop pain in their joints, called reactive arthritis, after the infection has ended,” says the CDC. “Reactive arthritis can last for months or years and can be difficult to treat. Some people with reactive arthritis develop irritation of the eyes and pain when urinating.”
