Two ongoing Salmonella outbreaks in this country, one in North Dakota and the other in Detroit, Michigan, remain a mystery. A Salmonella Thompson outbreak in North Dakota has sickened 21 people since the end of July. And a rare strain of Salmonella Isangi has sickened 14 people at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan.
The North Dakota outbreak is centered in Ward County, where the city of Minot is located, in the northwest corner of the state. Fourteen people live there, and the other 7 ill persons traveled to that area before they got sick. Officials do not know the cause of the illness, if the outbreak is over or more cases will be reported, or even if those sickened ate at the same restaurant or purchased food at the same grocery store or chain.
The outbreak in Michigan is located at the Henry Ford Hospital. This strain of Salmonella has only been reported four times in the last five years in Michigan. Officials don’t think this outbreak is linked to contaminated food. Investigators are looking at who had contact with the patients while they were hospitalized, what procedures or operations they had, and where they stayed in the hospital.
Salmonella infections are usually caused by eating contaminated food, but they can also be spread person-to-person. If a person who is sick or who harbors bacteria without showing symptoms goes to the bathroom and doesn’t wash their hands properly afterwards can spread the bacteria to others. At Henry Ford Hospital, a visitor could have contaminated surfaces that were touched by others, or a hospital worker may have been sick.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that there are about 1.2 million Salmonella infections in this country every year. About 450 people die of their infections. Those who are most susceptible to serious complications include the elderly, young children, those with chronic illnesses, and anyone with a compromised immune system.
The symptoms of a Salmonella infection include fever, chills, nausea, headache, muscle aches, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea which may be bloody or watery. The symptoms usually appear six hours to three days after exposure to the bacteria. Most people get better within a week, but some people must be hospitalized because their illness is so serious.
There are four other serious ongoing Salmonella outbreaks in the United States. One is linked to cucumbers imported from Mexico. That outbreak has sickened at least 671 people and killed three. The second is linked to tomatoes served at Chipotle restaurants in Minnesota; at least 64 people are ill in that outbreak. The third is linked to Fig & Olive restaurants in Washington D.C. and Melrose Place in Los Angeles, California. And the fourth is linked to recalled Aspen Farms frozen breaded raw stuffed chicken products.
All of these outbreaks highlight the fact that Salmonella infections can be caused by just about any food.