Health officials announced on Wednesday, Sept. 9, that the latest salmonella poona outbreak due to the tainted cucumbers had claimed the life of its second victim. With this, the numbers of affected individuals have rose to 341 across 30 U.S. states.
The second fatality hails from Texas and was said to have had other severe health conditions. She died during the latter part of August 2015 and according to the test results, salmonella contributed to her death.
This latest outbreak of salmonella is being associated with the American or "slicer" cucumbers shipped from Mexico. These vegetables are dark green in color and measures approximately seven to10 inches long. Supermarkets commonly sell these cucumbers in large bulks, unwrapped.
The first mortality case linked to this recent outbreak is a woman from San Diego, who died on Aug. 17. She was 99 years old.
Children aged below 18 years old comprise more than 50 percent of the ill cases. So far, 70 people have been admitted to the hospital due to severe illness.
On Sept 4, the company that is being linked to this outbreak, named Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce, previously announced their intent to willfully recollect all their "Limited Edition" brand cucumbers, which is the batch of produce suspected to be tainted with salmonella. The recalled products were distributed between Aug. 1, 2015 and Sept. 3, 2015, and were said to have been grown and packed in Rancho Don Juanito in Mexico.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises the public, restaurants and retail stores to stop eating, serving and selling cucumbers respectively. In cases when people are not sure if the cucumbers they have at hand are recalled or not, the CDC recommends checking it with the supplier but if in doubt, it is best to dispose it.
The National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System laboratory of the CDC is currently performing antibiotic resistance examinations on the clinical specimens obtained from patients who have been infected with the recent strain of salmonella. The investigations are still in process but the CDC said that they will be providing information once updated data become ready for release.
