With at least 100 reported infections with Salmonella Bareilly, US authorities say 19 states and the District of Columbia have been affected so far. According to an FDA memo, the current salmonellosis outbreak is spreading rapidly. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) informs that experts do not yet know what the source of the infection is, and also that no deaths have been reported. Health authorities added that it is definitely a food source.

Ten people have been hospitalized because of the outbreak.

As of the end of yesterday (Friday, April 6th), the number of reported human infections per state are as follows:

  • New York 23
  • Maryland 10
  • Illinois 9
  • Wisconsin 9
  • New Jersey 7
  • Connecticut 5
  • Virginia 5
  • Georgia 4
  • Massachusetts 4
  • Rhode Island 4
  • Pennsylvania 3
  • South Carolina 3
  • Texas 3
  • Alabama 2
  • District of Columbia 2
  • Louisiana 2
  • North Carolina 2
  • Arkansas 1
  • Mississippi 1
  • Missouri 1

The CDC says it is liaising closely with local health authorities in each state and is carrying out its own investigation into individual food items and their sources.

Both the CDC and FDA say they will announce any updates the moment they are available.

According to the FDA, there is an approximately 30 day lag between onset of sickness and health officials receiving news.

Salmonella Bareilly is one of the rarer subspecies of Salmonella bacteria.

Rather than caused by any direct toxin produced by the bacterium, it is the human’s response to the bacterium which typically triggers symptoms.

A symptom is something the patient feels and describes, such as abdominal pain, while a sign is something everybody is capable of detecting, such as a rash.

The signs and symptoms of salmonellosis (Salmonella infection) include:

Very young children and elderly individuals, as well as those with weak immune systems, have a higher risk of more severe symptoms.

Typically, symptoms last up to 7 days. After becoming infected, signs and symptoms, if they do appear, will usually do so after 12 to 72 hours.

Written by Christine Kearney