WESTERN PA. Salmonella sickens 24

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- State health officials have reported 24 cases of salmonellosis in western Pennsylvania since Friday and say the number of cases will likely grow in coming days.
Officials are stopping short of calling the cases an outbreak, because they don't know if the infections have a common origin.
Over the same period, officials normally find one or two cases in an area, state Department of Health spokesman Richard McGarvey told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review for today's editions.
Sources, symptoms
Salmonellosis, a bacterial infection caused by salmonella, can be transmitted by contaminated food or water, or contact with reptiles that carry the bacteria. Generally, those who get it will suffer from diarrhea, fever and cramps for up to three days -- but the illness can spread in those with impaired immune systems, children or the elderly.
Salmonellosis is not often fatal, but it can be if it spreads to someone's bloodstream or intestines.
Lab tests are ongoing to determine which of several types of salmonella is responsible for the illnesses. That will help determine its source, McGarvey said.
Each year, about 2,000 cases of salmonellosis are reported statewide. Nationally, there are 40,000 reported, including about 600 deaths. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the actual total number of cases may be 30 times as high, however, because milder cases may not be diagnosed.
Counties affected
The cases reported so far have come from Allegheny, Beaver, Butler and Westmoreland counties. Allegheny County averages 113 cases a year and reported 43 in the first six months of this year.
Last fall, an outbreak of hepatitis A linked to tainted green onions served at a Beaver County Mexican restaurant sickened at least 660 people, killing four.