CDC Issues Urgent Health Alert on Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Pizza Chain’s COOKIE DOUGH
CDC Issues Urgent Health Alert Over Salmonella Outbreak Linked To COOKIE DOUGH Sold At Pizza Takeout Chain — With 18 Infections Already In Six States
At least 18 people in half a dozen states have become sick with salmonella after eating raw cookie dough.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Tuesday that Papa Murphy’s chocolate chip cookie dough or S’mores bar dough was the culprit in most cases.
Researchers are urging people who have either type of dough in their freezer to throw it away, while hoping to zero out the specific contaminated ingredient that caused the outbreak.
Salmonellosis is the result of an infection of one of the 2,000 strains of the salmonella bacteria and primarily affects the intestinal tract and sometimes the blood, causing diarrhoea, fever, chills, abdominal pain and vomiting.
There have been no fatalities, although the CDC said the current number of infections is likely an undercount
Papa Murphy’s is a nationwide chain where people can buy pre-made raw cookie dough to bake at home
The Papa Murphy’s company owns more than 1,100 stores in the US. The states where people get sick were Washington (six cases), Oregon (four cases), California (one case), Utah (two cases), Idaho (four cases), and Missouri (one case).
A spokesperson for the company said“When Papa Murphy’s learned of this investigation, he took immediate action, including voluntarily issuing a Stop Sell Order” on both types of cookie dough.
“We have done this proactively out of an abundance of caution and concern for the safety of our guests. We continue to work with health authorities and suppliers of relevant ingredients to support the investigation,” the company added.
There have been no fatalities, although the CDC said the current number of infections is likely an undercount.
Symptoms usually begin between six hours and six days after infection and typically resolve within another four to seven days without specific medical intervention.
Some people have no symptoms. However, illnesses can sometimes be more serious and even lead to hospitalization.
People with other serious illnesses, weakened immune systems, children under 12 months old, and the elderly are especially vulnerable to serious side effects — or even death.
Salmonella infects more than 1.3 million people annually, leading to 26,500 hospitalizations and 420 deaths a year.
Foods that can become contaminated with salmonella are almost always of animal origin, such as eggs. Salmonella can also lurk in unbaked or uncooked flour used to make dough or batter.
The bacteria are passed on to other people or animals through the faeces of people or animals.
Information on those infected is now scarce, but according to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, all cases were women with an average age of 48. One was hospitalized but has since been released.
In Washington, the six cases ranged in age from 15 to 54. In Oregon, the four cases ranged in age from 20 to 57 and they started experiencing symptoms last month.