Jun 6, 2008 11:36 pm US/Pacific
Contra Costa Woman Found To Have Salmonella
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ―
A woman living in Contra Costa County has been identified to have the same type of Salmonella linked to an ongoing outbreak in several other states, health officials announced Friday.
The outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul has been linked to eating tomatoes and the woman, who recovered without being hospitalized, recently traveled to a state where other cases have recently occurred, according to Contra Costa Health Services.
The Salmonella outbreak has sickened 57 people in New Mexico and Texas.
"The fact that a case in Contra Costa is connected to a larger outbreak in other states is a reminder of the very mobile community in which we live and that fresh produce comes from many sources," said Francie Wise, the Communicable Disease Program Chief for Contra Costa Health Services.
Raw tomatoes are believed to be the source of the outbreak though the specific variety and where they came from have not been confirmed.
Tomato consumption should be limited to cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, tomatoes sold with the vine still attached and homegrown tomatoes, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended.
Contra Costa County averages about 123 cases of Salmonella each year, according to Wise.
The department also said it is working with Oregon officials to determine if an Oregon resident confirmed to have Salmonella Saintpaul ate tomatoes while in Southern California.
Department officials said the Food and Drug Administration has no indication that tomatoes grown in California caused the outbreak.
Salmonella usually begins with diarrhea, a fever and abdominal cramps within the first 12 to 72 hours of infection and lasts about 4 to 7 days, health officials said.
Treatment is not usually required, although infants, elderly citizens and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to develop severe illness. When severe infections occur, Salmonella may spread from the intestines to the bloodstream and to other parts of the body, which could result in death, according to health officials.
For more information, visit
www.cdc.gov/salmonella/saintpaul.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.)
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