Tomato farms to be investigated for salmonella outbreak
Minneapolis, Minnesota (WiredPRNews.com) — According to a report by CNN, federal health authorities said that investigators who have been searching for sources of the recent tomato salmonella outbreak will be now focusing on farms in Florida and Mexico.
The Associate Commissioner of foods for the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. David Acheson, said that the trace-back has led the administration from the consumption point back to farms in Florida and Mexico. He also said that in order to determine the source of contamination occurrence, an investigation team will be dispatched to the farms and to pathways from the farms. He also stressed that it is possible the tomatoes did not become contaminated on the farm but may have contracted the strains in a warehouse, packing shed, distribution center or even in the suppliers’ chain.
Dr. Acheson said that the team will be sent to all the possible location to watch for any problems that may indicate the cause of contamination. Officials said that this has become a historical record of an illness outbreak caused by tomatoes, as the remarkable numbers of people who contracted the strain shot up to 552 people in more than 30 states including the Columbia of District since April.
Acheson also said that although the number of victims has dramatically increased in the recent days, this does not signify that these are new infections. Instead, lab identification of formerly submitted infections and improved surveillance has led to the increase in numbers.
Ian Williams, the chief of Outbreak Net Team at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, said that a large number of new reports from Texas has made up nearly 265 cases. More than 50 victims between 1-88 years with an equal number of men and women have been admitted to hospitals with the virus.
Williams also said that although there have no deaths reports, although a 60-year old cancer patient died due to a lack of resistance to salmonella. The first infection was reported on April 10th and the last one was reported on June 10th.
Wired Health Reporter
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