State health officials urge residents to stay aware during salmonella outbreak
More than 300 people have been sickened in a multi-state salmonella outbreak linked to contaminated jalapeno peppers.
Now, state health officials are urging consumers to take a second look at what’s in their refrigerators.
WXXV News 25’s Brynne Baxley explains.
Dr. Renia Dotson said, “We want people to go out and continue to enjoy the Mississippi Gulf Coast and all that Mississippi has to offer and to just take precautions as far as checking your fridge to make sure you don’t have any recall items in them.”
Dr. Dotson with the Mississippi State Department of Health says there’s no need to panic, but she does want consumers to stay aware.
This comes after Coast distributors recalled jalapeno peppers imported from Sinaloa, Mexico. The FDA says Taylor Farms also recalled several prepared food products that contained those contaminated peppers. Those products were sold in stores across the country, including some locations in Mississippi. “For the most part, all of the affected peppers have been identified and have been removed from shelves. But if you do check your refrigerator and you have any of those recalled products, then most definitely you should discard those. For the most part, the jalapenos that were distributed in Mississippi were not distributed to grocery stores. They were actually distributed to restaurants and wholesalers. But then those jalapenos were used in ready-made products. So, and then sold to stores that are in Mississippi like Kroger, Walmart, Target, and Whole Foods.”
The CDC says more than 300 people have gotten sick nationwide and nearly 40 have been hospitalized.
While many people recover without treatment, Dr. Dotson says children under five, adults over 65, and people with weakened immune systems face the highest risk of serious illness. “The main symptoms first and foremost are diarrhea, fever, stomach cramps. You can have symptoms as early as six hours after you’ve eaten something or up to six days after you’ve eaten it. So, it’s a long range of time that you can be infected with it. Most people get better in about four to seven days.”
For a full list of recalled products connected to the outbreak, visit the FDA’s website.
