Additional illnesses continue to be confirmed in an outbreak of Salmonella traced to eggs from Rose Acre Farms. Nine states have reported infected people. The farm has recalled more than 207 million eggs.
Since the initial outbreak announcement on April 16, public health officials have reported a dozen more cases of Salmonella infection to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As of Thursday, 35 people have been confirmed with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Braenderup. No deaths have been reported. More than a third of the victims have had such severe symptoms that they were admitted to hospitals.
Several brands of eggs are subject to the recall, including the Great Value brand sold by Walmart. Some of the other recalled brands include Coburn Farms, Country Daybreak, Food Lion, Glenview, Great Value, Nelms, Publix, Sunshine Farms, and Sunups.
In addition to shipping the eggs to grocery stores, Rose Acre Farms sent them to restaurants.
The recalled eggs were also exported to several other countries as well as being distributed in the United States. The Food and Drug Administration has a list of all of the recalled brands on its outbreak investigation page.
“Check egg cartons for the following numbers: P-1065 (the plant number) and another set of numbers between 011 and 102 (the Julian date), or, for Publix and Sunups egg cartons, plant number P-1359D and Julian date 048A or 049A with Best By dates of APR 02 and APR 03,” the CDC advised consumers.
“… consumers, restaurants, and retailers should not eat, serve, or sell recalled eggs produced by Rose Acre Farms’ Hyde County farm. Throw them away or return them to the place of purchase for a refund.”
Public health officials expect additional cases to be confirmed because of the lag time from the time a person develops symptoms to the time the CDC receives confirmation lab reports and notifications from state and local officials. Consequently, people who became sick after March 23 may not yet be included in the federal count.
Illnesses started on dates ranging from Nov.16, 2017, to April 14 this year. Ill people range in age from 1 to 90 years old, with a median age of 65. The sick people are evenly split between males and females.
Of the 25 people for whom complete information is available, 88 percent, or 22 people, reported eating shell eggs before becoming sick. Sixteen people reported eating various egg dishes at different restaurants, according to the CDC. The restaurants reported using shell eggs in the dishes eaten by ill people.
Anyone who has had any of the recalled eggs in their homes or restaurants should take intervention action even if no one is known to have become sick after eating them. Such measures include washing and sanitizing refrigerators where the eggs were stored. A guide on the five steps to clean refrigerators in such circumstances is available on the CDC website.
Inspectors found multiple violations of federal food safety regulations at the Rose Acre Farms facility.
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