Beef-linked salmonella outbreak has sickened 120 people, now in 22 states

The salmonella outbreak that led to a gargantuan beef recall earlier this month has sickened 120 people in 22 states, according to Tuesday’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention update.

That adds six states and more than doubles the 57 illnesses touched by this outbreak at the last CDC update. That was Oct. 4, hours after JBS Tolleson recalled 6.9 million pounds of beef produced from July 26 through Sept. 7. There’s still a concern some of that beef could be in freezers from Windermere to Walla Walla, Washington. Here’s the updated retail store list:

Barring some illnesses from beef in freezers, however, the outbreak might be over. After the first illness was reported Aug. 5, the salmonella strike rate peaked from about Aug. 22 through Sept. 19. As of Tuesday, the last illness was reported Sept. 28. The CDC’s expected lag time between getting sick and reporting is two to four weeks.

Salmonella illnesses linked to this outbreak mainly have been in the west, with California (27), Colorado (23) and Arizona (21) accounting for 71 of the illnesses. An Ohio River clump of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois represents the easternmost states in the outbreak, but only five illnesses. Across the country, 33 people have been hospitalized.

Salmonella usually hits within three days of eating contaminated food or handling it with bare hands and without proper handwashing. It usually goes away on its own after four to seven days of diarrhea, stomachaches and fever. Hospitalization occurs rarely (about 1.9 percent of cases) and four-hundreths of 1 percent die. Senior citizens and children under 5 are the most vulnerable to salmonella’s worst effects.

Anyone with questions can call the JBS USA Consumer Hotline at 800-727-2333.

This story was originally published October 23, 2018 at 5:27 PM.