The United States is experiencing several major salmonella outbreaks connected to food and pets. Hundreds of people have gotten sick in dozens of states, and one death has been reported.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that salmonella causes about 1.35 million infections every year, with about 420 deaths. Food is most often to blame, but pets can be a problem, too.
One ongoing outbreak involves eggs that were produced in Texas and were sold in bulk and in grocery stores. Midwest Poultry Services has recalled more than 1.5 million dozen containers of shell eggs due to possible contamination. However, the US Food and Drug Administration says the producer does not account for all the illnesses, so it’s investigating to determine what the other sources may be.
Another outbreak involves recalled jalapeño peppers grown in Sinaloa, Mexico, and distributed by Coast Citrus Distributors.
There are also several outbreaks tied to animals: eight multistate outbreaks linked to contact with backyard chickens and ducks, as well as a much smaller outbreak tied to children handling pet veiled chameleons.
