A salmonella outbreak linked to eggs has sickened 95 people across 14 states, federal health officials said Thursday. Eighteen people have been hospitalized.
The company Country Eggs, of Lucerne Valley, California, has issued a recall of its large brown cage free “sunshine yolks” and “omega-3 golden yolks” eggs, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
The recalled eggs were sold in grocery stores and delivered to food service distributors in California and Nevada between June 16 and July 9 and have sell-by dates between July 1 and Sept. 18. The recalled cartons were also sold under the brand names Nagatoshi Produce, Misuho and Nijiya Markets.
Most of the people who have become ill so far — 73 of the 95 — are from California, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But infections have been reported in 13 other states across the country, including in Washington state, Minnesota, New York and Pennsylvania. No one has died.
The case numbers are likely to rise, however, said Matthew Moore, an associate professor in the department of food science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Many people don’t go to the doctor when they get food poisoning, he said. And when they do, they won’t necessarily be tested for the bacteria. This is likely “just the tip of the iceberg,” Moore said.
Only about 1 in 30 salmonella infections are diagnosed, according to the CDC.
A Potentially Serious Infection
Salmonella is a leading cause of food poisoning-related deaths in the country, and typically results in diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps that begin within six hours to six days of swallowing the bacteria. Symptoms usually clear on their own within four to seven days.
If you have symptoms of a severe infection — such as a fever over 102 degrees, diarrhea that lasts for more than three days without improving, or vomiting so much that you cannot keep liquids down — seek medical attention, the CDC says.
This outbreak comes on the heels of another egg-related salmonella outbreak that sickened 134 people and sent 38 people to the hospital this year. One person died.
It also follows recent reports that federal health officials reduced operations on a government system called The Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, or FoodNet, which tracks foodborne infections. This program used to track infections caused by eight different bacteria in participating regions across 10 states. Now, FoodNet is only requiring that participating state and federal health departments track two bacteria — salmonella and a type of E. coli.
How to Avoid Salmonella
While anyone can become infected with salmonella, those under 5 or over 65 are at greatest risk of serious illness. People with underlying medical problems like heart disease or weakened immune systems are also particularly vulnerable.
If you have removed your eggs from their original cartons and don’t know if they were part of the recall, Moore said, it might be smart to toss them anyway if you live in California or Nevada and are at higher risk, just to play it safe
And keep in mind that you don’t need to consume a lot of the bacteria to get sick, Moore said.
“It only takes a few bites,” he said. “You don’t necessarily have to eat an entire egg.”
To reduce your risk of foodborne illness, public health experts recommend the following food safety basics.
Cook your food. Raw or undercooked chicken, eggs, and meat like beef and pork pose the biggest risks for salmonella, so thoroughly cook your food (including egg yolks) before eating. Use a food thermometer to ensure that chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees and that beef and pork reach 145 degrees. If you are cooking eggs, make sure the yolks are firm — not runny.
Practice good hygiene. Wash your hands before, during and after handling raw eggs or meat. It is also important to wash any surfaces — cutting boards, knives and countertops — that have touched the raw food with hot, soapy water.
Store food properly. Salmonella multiplies more quickly in warmer conditions, so try to refrigerate eggs, meat and other perishable food items soon after grocery shopping. The CDC recommends refrigerating all perishable foods within two hours, or within one hour if it’s very hot out (over 90 degrees Fahrenheit). If you plan to cook chicken that has been frozen, thaw it in the refrigerator instead of on the counter.
Consider pasteurized eggs. Any whole or liquid eggs that are labeled “pasteurized” have been heated to kill pathogens like salmonella, making them safer to eat than unpasteurized eggs. But whole, pasteurized eggs are often hard to come by.
Caroline Hopkins Legaspi wrote this article that originally appeared in The New York Times. Photos courtesy of Kellsey McClellan and Chiara Zarmati and Gary Howe.
