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Salmonella Outbreak 'Growing Rapidly,' CDC Says

A new salmonella outbreak with an unknown cause has infected over 125 people in 25 states and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) is cautioning that it's growing rapidly.

Salmonella

Salmonella

Photo Credit: CDC
A look at the number of cases in each of the 25 states.

A look at the number of cases in each of the 25 states.

Photo Credit: CDC

The first illness was reported on Tuesday, Aug. 3 and the number of cases has steadily increased since then.

As of last week, 127 people were infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Oranienburg, the CDC said.

"Recent illnesses may not yet be reported as it usually takes 3 to 4 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak," the CDC said.

Sick people range in age from less than 1 year to 82 years, with a median age of 33, and 59 percent are female, according to the CDC. 

Of 49 people with information available, 18 have been hospitalized and no deaths have been reported.

State and local public health officials are interviewing people about the foods they ate in the week before they got sick, the CDC said. 

The CDC said it is analyzing the data and has not identified a specific food item as a potential source of this outbreak. 

"Several groups of people (called 'subclusters') at restaurants in multiple states have been identified," according to the CDC. "These subclusters are groups of people who do not know one another who ate at the same restaurant and got sick.

"Investigating these subclusters can sometimes help identify a food item eaten by all of the sick people that could be the source of the outbreak."

For a look at the number of cases in each of the 25 states, click on the second image above.

"The true number of sick people in an outbreak is likely much higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses," the CDC said. "This is because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for Salmonella."

This is a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.

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