Cousins! The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has declared a Salmonella outbreak currently underway as dozens of people have been sickened from the consumption of ground beef!
According to reports from ABC News sixteen people in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Massachusetts have fallen ill. The CDC confirms that a total of six people have been hospitalized.
Officials state that an active investigation is underway as the CDC seeks to confirm where exactly the outbreak has originated from. However, it has been declared that all of the people who have gotten sick are said to have eaten and purchased 80%% lean ground beef from ShopRite in locations such as Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey.
The illness began as early as April 27th through June 16th. The CDC warns that the number of people affected may be higher as many people recover from salmonella without receiving direct medical care.
Reports read that of the 14 people in the interviewed, nine confirmed they’ve eaten ground beef purchased from ShopRite.
As per the CDC symptoms of salmonella infection include fever, diarrhea and stomach cramps and usually start six hours to six days after swallowing the bacteria. Most people recover without treatment within a week, the CDC said.
“The purpose of the CDC announcement was to ensure that customers who may have purchased ground beef product in or around the April 27 to June 16 time frame and may still have product in their freezers are aware of the situation,” Wakefern spokesperson Karen O’Shea said in the statement. “The CDC announcement also emphasized the importance of safe food handling and proper cooking of ground beef products.”
There has been no recall order issued at this time as an official investigation is still underway.
Raw, undercooked ground beef is a known source of salmonella. To avoid getting sick, ground beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees, according to the CDC.
The CDC recommends that any utensils, bowls and surfaces that have in come contact with raw ground beef to be cleaned before being used to prepare other foods. They insist that fokks also wash your hands for at least 20 seconds after preparing raw ground beef.