11 deaths; 500 sick; 200 products recalled

Health agencies around the country have reported more deaths linked to the nationwide salmonella outbreak as more products are recalled and the list of people sickened grows longer.

So far, 11 people with salmonella have died: four in Ohio, three in Minnesota, two in Virginia and one each in Idaho and North Carolina.

Some of them were elderly and had other health issues. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it cannot confirm that salmonella poisoning was the cause of any of the deaths.

But health authorities have confirmed nearly 500 cases of illness in 43 states and Canada related to the outbreak. The CDC tally stands at 491 today but that doesn't include the two latest cases confirmed in Oregon alone.



© National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne, and Enteric Diseases
As of 9PM EDT, Wednesday, January 22, 2009, 491 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium have been reported from 43 states. The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: Alabama (1), Arizona (10), Arkansas (4), California (62), Colorado (12), Connecticut (9), Georgia (6), Hawaii (3), Idaho (11), Illinois (6), Indiana (4), Iowa (2), Kansas (2), Kentucky (3), Maine (4), Maryland (8), Massachusetts (42), Michigan (25), Minnesota (35), Missouri (9), Mississippi (3), Nebraska (1), New Hampshire (11), New Jersey (19), New York (18), Nevada (5), North Carolina (6), North Dakota (10), Ohio (67), Oklahoma (2), Oregon (7), Pennsylvania (14), Rhode Island (4), South Dakota (2), Tennessee (9), Texas (6), Utah (5), Vermont (4), Virginia (20), Washington (13), West Virginia (2), Wisconsin (3), and Wyoming (2). Additionally, one ill person was reported from Canada.


The outbreak started in September and shows no signs of dying down, with the list of recalled items growing longer by the day. The latest items include Whole Foods Carob Energee Nuggets that were sold in Oregon, Washington, California and Nevada.

About 200 items have been recalled so far, including snacks, candies and dog biscuits. The Food and Drug Administration has set up a searchable database listing items that have been pulled. You can find that at www.FDA.gov.

Consumers can also check a list of safe foods on the Web site of the American Peanut Council, a trade group by going to www.peanutsusa.com.

Authorities have traced the outbreak to a Peanut Corporation of America plant in Blakely, Ga. The company manufactured peanut butter which was sold only to institutions under the King Nut and Parnell's Pride brands. They were the first items recalled.

Peanut Corporation also made peanut paste that went into hundreds of products.

William Keene, senior epidemiologist for the state Public Health Division, said this recall is one of the most complicated and potentially the biggest in U.S. history.

He expressed concern Friday over four new cases confirmed in the past week, giving Oregon a total of nine cases so far.

No one in Oregon has been hospitalized, but nationwide about a fifth of those sickened had to go to the hospital for treatment.

Salmonella can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, lasting anywhere from a few days to two weeks.