Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed that at least 53 people in the United States have fallen ill after consuming raw tuna in sushi believed to be contaminated with a salmonella.
According to the agency, the outbreak stemmed from a specific strain of the salmonella bacteria called Salmonella Paratyphi B. Illness connected to the disease occurred from March 5 to May 3.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has launched an investigation regarding the incident but has yet to identify who supplied the contaminated tuna.
The FDA has also initiated programs to remove products from the marketplace once a specific food or source has been identified to be linked to the salmonella outbreak.
In order to prevent the continued spread of the disease, the agency has also urged people, especially pregnant women and children, to avoid eating raw or partially cooked fish.
A vast majority of the people who were sickened came from Southern California, with 31 cases reported from the area.
Ten of the victims came from Arizona, six from New Mexico, one from Mississippi, one from Illinois, one from Virginia, one from Washington, one from Wisconsin and one from South Dakota.
While the recent salmonella outbreak has caused sickness in people, it has not caused any deaths.
"As the investigation continues, this is a good reminder to Californians that there are sometimes risks when eating raw or undercooked meats, fish or poultry," Dr. Karen Smith, director of the California Department of Public Health, said.
Symptoms of Salmonella
People who eat salmonella contaminated feed often develop fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps within 12 to 72 hours. The illness typically lasts for four to seven days, with most people recovering from it even without treatment.
Unlike most other strains of the salmonella bacteria, the Salmonella Paratyphi B identified in the outbreak is not known to cause enteric fever, paratyphoid fever or typhoid fever.
If an individual is hospitalized because of salmonella-caused diarrhea, they are immediately treated with antibiotics to prevent the disease from spreading to the bloodstream and other vital parts of the body. If left untreated, the infection could lead to the patient's death.
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