July 26, 2023 – Sixteen people have gotten sick, with six hospitalized, because of a salmonella outbreak in four Northeastern states, the CDC said.
The outbreak appears to be connected to ground beef, the agency said, noting that people became ill from April 27 through June 16. The youngest are babies, and the oldest is 97.
“All of the people who remembered the type of ground beef they ate and where they bought it reported eating 80% lean ground beef purchased from ShopRite locations in Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York before they got sick,” the CDC said in an investigation notice. “Ground beef is the only common food people reported eating.”
The number of sick people is probably higher, because some may recover without medical care and are never tested for salmonella.The CDC is trying to find the source of the ground beef.
Symptoms of salmonella include diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps, with symptoms starting 6 hours to 6 days after swallowing bacteria, the CDC said. Most people recover without treatment in 4 to 7 days, but children 5 and under and adults over 65 may need treatment, as may people with weakened immune systems.