The Salmonella outbreak linked to onions sold at grocery stores nationwide now includes more than 1,000 cases and 136 hospitalizations. The recalled onions, produced by Thomson International of Bakersfield, CA, were sold at Food Lion, Giant Eagle, Kroger, Publix, Ralph’s, Trader Joe’s, Walmart and other stores.
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“This is one of the largest Salmonella outbreaks in U.S. history,” said Fred Pritzker whose law firm, Pritzker Hageman, has represented clients in every major Salmonella outbreak in the U.S. including this one.
Since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last updated information on the outbreak on August 18, 2020, an additional 143 illnesses have been reported. An outbreak linked to these onions is also ongoing in Canada.
Onion recalls have been issued for red, white, yellow, sweet yellow onions and products containing them. Public health officials interviewed 154 of the people who have been sickened and asked what they ate before they developed symptoms. Most of them reported eating more than one type of onion. For example, 103 people (67 percent) said they ate red onions, 96 people (62 percent) said they ate white onions, and 86 people (56 percent) said they ate yellow onions.
Many of the people interviewed were part of illness clusters, according to the CDC. This means that people who don’t live in the same household shopped at the same grocery store or ate at the same restaurant in the week before they became ill. The CDC has identified 34 of these clusters in 13 states.
Public health officials have used Whole Genome Sequencing to identify the genetic “fingerprint” of the Salmonella Newport strain associated with this outbreak. The strain found in the onions closely resembles the one cultured from those who became ill.
The people sickened in this outbreak, who range in age from less than 1 to 102 years old, reported the onset of symptoms on dates ranging from June 19, 2020 to August 11, 2020.
Symptoms of a Salmonella infection include diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever. These symptoms usually develop within six to 72 hours after eating the contaminated food.
Forty-seven states have reported illnesses linked to this outbreak. The number of illnesses reported from each is: Alaska (21), Alabama (1), Arizona (35), Arkansas (2), California (122), Colorado (26), Connecticut (2), Delaware (2), Florida (8), Georgia (11), Hawaii (3), Idaho (37), Illinois (54), Indiana (3), Iowa (26), Kansas (2), Kentucky (1), Maine (6), Maryland (7), Massachusetts (2), Michigan (47), Minnesota (18), Mississippi (4), Missouri (11), Montana (63), Nebraska (10), Nebraska (10), Nevada (11), New Hampshire (1), New Jersey (8), New Mexico (1), New York (10), North Carolina (6), North Dakota (9), Ohio (11), Oregon (101), Pennsylvania (22), Rhode Island (3), South Carolina (1), South Dakota (23), Tennessee (7), Texas (2), Utah (110), Virginia (10), Washington (117), West Virginia (2), Wisconsin (10), and Wyoming (23).
If you have been sickened in this outbreak and would like a free consultation with an experienced Salmonella lawyer, please contact the Pritzker Hageman Salmonella Legal Team. We have represented clients in every major Salmonella outbreak in the U.S. You can reach us by calling 1-888-377-8900, sending a text to 612-261-0856, or by completing the form below. There is no obligation and we don’t get paid unless we win.