Health District Investigates Salmonella Outbreak
The Food and Drug Administration is investigating the source of the salmonella outbreak that has been spreading throughout the country. The Rodd County Health District has been advising the food service establishments to be extra careful for the way that they are handling the food and are telling consumers that there is no need to panic.
“There are no known cases of salmonella in Ohio associated with this outbreak,” said Lana Cherrington, director of environmental health at the health district. “But we always urge restaurants and citizens to handle food carefully, and that includes vegetables such as tomatoes.”
Salmonella is a bacterium that occurs when fecal matter from people or animals comes into contact and contaminates food. Cherrington said it is important to wash tomatoes thoroughly under running water and then dry them with a clean dish towel or paper towel. There are vegetable washes available, but dish soap or other types of detergents or cleaning solutions should never be used.
Because Ohio is not yet included in the outbreak, citizens and restaurants are not being asked by the health department to dispose of their tomatoes. Even so, several area restaurants have posted notice they are temporarily pulling tomatoes off their menus.
“It would be a good idea for restaurants that are part of a larger franchise to call their headquarters to see what is being recommended,” Cherrington said. “Smaller, locally owned establishments need to wash tomatoes thoroughly and they need to keep up with news of the outbreak, just in case Ohio is added to the list.”
To date the FDA hasn’t been able to identify the source of the contamination. Salmonella usually appears 12 to 72 hours after infection and can cause diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal cramps. For most people, it is not serious, but for young children, the elderly, and those with a compromised immune system it can be very serious.
To date there have been 150 confirmed cases, and 23 people have been hospitalized. Cherrington said that because cooking at 145 degrees will kill the bacteria, foods or soups that contain cooked tomatoes should not pose a risk. In a restaurant, customers can request that raw or uncooked tomatoes be withheld from any food they order.