Year-long Salmonella outbreak receives close attention during Thanksgiving Day preparations

Year-long Salmonella outbreak receives close attention during Thanksgiving Day preparations

By Shiloh Appel

With Thanksgiving, aka "Turkey Day," right around the corner, public attention has been drawn to a year-long salmonella outbreak in the U.S. linked to raw turkey products. The outbreak, which started in November of 2017, has resulted in 164 cases of salmonella poisoning across 35 states thus far.
According to medical research, salmonella is a bacteria that infects the intestines of birds and other animals and can be transmitted to humans through the consumption of food contaminated with animal feces. Symptoms of salmonella poisoning include diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps 12 to 72 hours after being exposed to the bacteria. The illness usually lasts from four to seven days. Most people recover without treatment, but in rare cases salmonella can cause hospitalization or death.
Locally, South Dakota has only reported one case of salmonella over the past year and North Dakota has only reported two cases. However, Minnesota has had the most, with 17 reported cases, followed by Illinois (16) and California (13). The only death by salmonella infection in the past year was reported in California earlier this month.
Recently, the United States Department of Agriculture has been hard pressed to make public the specific turkey brands that the current salmonella outbreak has originated from. However, USDA-FSIS stated that they have not yet identified a "source or supplier of the product that is making consumers ill." Those who have become ill have all reported consuming many different brands of raw turkey products from various stores.
With no clear answers on which turkey brands are safe and which are not this Thanksgiving, many people may be opting for ham, beef or chicken as their main source of meat for the traditional family meal. Nevertheless, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are not advising consumers to avoid eating turkey or for retailers to stop selling turkey products. According to the CDC, ways to prevent salmonella poisoning include hand washing after handling raw turkey and cooking the turkey to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
(States affected by the outbreak include Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Deleware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin.)