Salmonella cases from tomatoes jump to 383
Pastor Dale Morgan
Salmonella cases from tomatoes jump to 383*
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health officials have learned of 106 more
cases of salmonella linked to tainted tomatoes, putting the outbreak's
toll at 383 on Wednesday and counting.
"We do not think the outbreak is over," said Dr. Robert Tauxe of the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Most of this newest influx of cases were people who got sick weeks ago
but hadn't been counted yet. Some states began doing a better job of
checking for salmonella as the outbreak has dragged on, while part of
the surge comes from test results that had been backlogged in jammed
laboratories.
What hasn't changed is that the earliest known victim got sick on April
10, and the latest on June 5.
But New Hampshire and Pennsylvania reported their first cases, bringing
to 30 the number of states — plus Washington, D.C. — that have reported
sick residents, although some may have been infected while traveling. At
least 48 people have been hospitalized.
It might be impossible to trace the ultimate source of the tainted
tomatoes, the Food and Drug Administration's food safety chief warned
Wednesday.
"I know there is a great deal of frustration" that the mystery hasn't
been solved, said Dr. David Acheson, the FDA's associate commissioner
for foods. "We're continuing to work flat-out."
But tomatoes are among the hardest foods to trace in an outbreak,
because people seldom have any left by the time they get sick and
they're sold without tags to help trace their suppliers.
The FDA has said that parts of Mexico and Florida are the most likely
sources of the contamination because they were supplying most of the
nation's tomatoes when the outbreak began. But Acheson said he was
"trying to inject a note of realism" that the longer his probe lasts,
the less likely he'll find the actual farm.
"As every day passes, it gets just a little more tricky," he said. "I'm
still optimistic but I'm trying to be realistic."
As part of the probe, the FDA has asked Mexican health authorities to
check whether they have any cases of this exact strain of salmonella
Saintpaul, the subtype involved.
The FDA continues to urge consumers nationwide to avoid raw red plum,
red Roma or red round tomatoes unless they were grown in specific states
or countries that FDA has cleared of suspicion. Check FDA's website —
http://www.fda.gov — for an updated list. Also safe are grape tomatoes,
cherry tomatoes and tomatoes sold with the vine still attached.