Public Health Canada reported Thursday that the Salmonella Newport outbreak linked to U.S. grown onions has ended. In total, there were 515 confirmed cases of Salmonella Newport illness linked to this outbreak.
In the United States, at least 1,012 people had been confirmed as outbreak patients, as of Aug. 31. The Salmonella Newport outbreak has sickened people from 47 U.S. states. The outbreaks in both countries have been linked to California-based Thomson International Inc.
In Canada, patient counts by province are as follows: British Columbia with 121, Alberta with 293, Saskatchewan with 35, Manitoba with 26, Ontario with 14, Quebec with 25, and Prince Edward Island with 1.
Individuals became sick between mid-June and late-August 2020. Seventy-nine people were hospitalized. Three people died, but Salmonella did not contribute to the cause of these deaths, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Investigations by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration initially showed a link between the illnesses and red onions, but because of the way onions are grown, harvested, and packed other onion types, such as white, yellow, or sweet yellow, are also likely to be contaminated.
Public health officials in the United States report that 34 illness clusters have been identified in 13 states of the implicated states.Information was collected on 23 of the 34 clusters at restaurants and grocery stores. Information from these clusters shows that many ill people ate red onions and other types of onions.
Investigations conducted by U.S. state and federal officials determined that all 23 restaurants and grocery stores specifically identified as having served or sold red, yellow, or white onions. Seventeen of the 23 (74 percent) served red onions, 13 (57 percent) served yellow onions, and 10 (43 percent) served white onions.
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