U.S. officials seek source of salmonella outbreak; Ohio adds case

BY MISTI CRANE

COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Federal officials are looking for the source of a salmonella outbreak that has sickened people in 42 states, including 51 in Ohio.

No specific foods have been implicated, leaving consumers with little to do other than follow general food-safety rules.

This week, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added Ohio to the investigation of an outbreak that included 388 cases as of Tuesday.

Ohio’s most recent case, from Meigs County, was reported Tuesday.

The others date from Oct. 10 to Dec. 12 and include three central Ohio residents: two from Fairfield County and one from Delaware County.

Cuyahoga County has the most confirmed cases: 14.

With case reports continuing to roll in, it’s possible that whatever is sickening Americans remains in countless freezers and refrigerators or on pantry shelves.

Ohio residents who are part of the investigation range in age from 2 months to 89 years old. Nobody has died of the food-borne illness, which is called salmonellosis, but 12 people have been hospitalized, said Ohio Department of Health spokesman Kristopher Weiss.

Salmonella is a group of bacteria that can pass from the feces of people or animals to other people or animals. Foods commonly contaminated with the bacteria include beef, poultry, milk or eggs. But any food, including vegetables, can pose a problem.