Number of people sickened in salmonella beef outbreak has doubled to 246 in 25 states

The salmonella outbreak that caused JBS Tolleson’s gargantuan 6.9 million-pound beef recall in October has made 246 people ill in 25 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday.

That sick count rocketed by 126 people, 105 percent, since the Oct. 23 update. As far as hospitalizations, those rose by 24 people (72.7 percent) to 57. The most recent illness was Oct. 16, almost a month ago, indicating the outbreak might be near its end. Then again, at the Oct. 23 update, the most recent illness had been Sept. 28 and the outbreak appeared to be slowing then.

While the last of the recalled beef would’ve been sold in September, the way the sickness count ballooned over the last month indicates that the beef sat in freezers around the nation. Or, rather, freezers west of the Midwest — California (66), Colorado (50), Arizona (42) and Texas (13) account for 69.5 percent of the illnesses. No other states sustained double-digit illnesses.

Salmonella brings four to seven days of fever, diarrhea, and stomachaches to 1.2 million Americans each year, according to the CDC. About 23,000 wind up hospitalized by intense diarrhea, and 450 die.

Here’s the updated list of retail stores that likely got the recalled beef:

This story was originally published November 15, 2018 at 8:23 PM.