A single strain of salmonella has sickened 388 people in 42 states over the past three months. The CDC is on the case, but no one has figured out what's causing it.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta first picked up the outbreak in late November, and now 15 staffers are working nearly full time to track its source, says CDC veterinary epidemiologist Casey Barton Behravesh.
"It's a pretty widespread outbreak. It's not focused on one region of the country," she says. The first illness was reported in mid-October, and the outbreak appears to be spreading, she says.
"About 18% of ill persons are reporting being hospitalized; that's typical with what we see with salmonella," Barton Behravesh says.
Working with state public health officials nationwide, CDC investigators are interviewing patients to try to figure out what's causing the illnesses.
It's a big outbreak, says Kirk Smith of the Minnesota Department of Public Health, which also is working on the case. "Remember that for every lab-confirmed case, we estimate that there are 38 more."
The outbreak strain is called salmonella typhimurium. Salmonellosis, the illness caused by infection with the salmonella bacteria, can cause diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps from 12 to 72 hours after infection. It usually lasts four to seven days.
Though most people recover without treatment, it can be life-threatening to the very young, the very old and people with impaired immune systems. The best protection is careful handling of raw meat, washing hands frequently and avoiding raw or undercooked meat, the CDC says.
The CDC notes, however, that any food, including vegetables, can become contaminated.
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