The multistate outbreak of Salmonella Poona linked to cucumbers imported by Andrew & Williamson has grown to include 767 sick in 36 states. Since the last update on October 6, 2015, 35 more ill persons have been reported from 14 states. Florida was added to the list of states with ill people.
The case count by state is as follows: Alabama (1), Alaska (16), Arizona (118), Arkansas (11), California (205), Colorado (18), Florida (1), Hawaii (1), Idaho (24), Illinois (9), Indiana (4), Iowa (6), Kansas (2), Kentucky (1), Louisiana (5), Maryland (1), Minnesota (38), Missouri (12), Montana (15), Nebraska (7), Nevada (14), New Mexico (31), New York (6), North Dakota (6), Ohio (3), Oklahoma (12), Oregon (21), Pennsylvania (2), South Carolina (9), South Dakota (3), Texas (38), Utah (53), Virginia (1), Washington (24), Wisconsin (42), and Wyoming (7). Any illnesses that occurred after September 15, 2015 may not yet be reported.
One hundred fifty-seven ill persons have been hospitalized in this outbreak, and four deaths have been reported; one each from Arizona, California, Oklahoma, and Texas. Fifty percent of ill persons are children younger than age 18.
Get a Free Consultation
Contact our law firm to request a free consultation.
Andrew & Williamson recalled their “Limited Edition” cucumbers that were imported from Baja California, Mexico on September 4, 2105. Those cucumbers have been linked to this outbreak. They were distributed in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah and may have reached customers through distribution via retail, food service companies, wholesales, and brokers in other states as well.
Since cucumbers have a shelf life of about two weeks, someone may have stored them in the fridge and eaten them as late as September 18, 2015. Salmonella food poisoning has an incubation period of six hours to three days, so some people might not have become ill until September 21, 2015.
Then it can take time to see a doctor, have stool samples taken, and have those samples sent to a lab for evaluation. It then takes more time to report the results to the doctor, who then reports the illness to public health officials.
In addition to the recall of Andrew & Williamson cucumbers, Custom Produce Sales recalled all of its cucumbers sold under the Fat Boy label starting August 1, 2015. They were distributed in California, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Texas.
No distribution list for these cucumbers has ever been released, so we do not know exactly who sold them. We do know that Red Lobster restaurants in Minnesota sold them to customers in salads, since there was an outbreak in that state. We also know they may have been sold at In-N-Out Burger, Capital Grille, and Olive Garden. They were also sold in some Walmart, Winco, Food 4 Less, Ralphs, and Savemart grocery stores.
The symptoms of a Salmonella infection include nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea. Symptoms usually appear a few hours to a few days after exposure to the pathogenic bacteria.
While most people recover within about a week without medical care, some become so ill they must be hospitalized. If you ate cucumbers and have experienced the symptoms of a Salmonella infection, see your doctor. Then call our experienced attorneys for help protecting your legal rights.