92 people in 29 states sickened by antibiotic-resistant salmonella in a popular food

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has revealed that the salmonella bacteria have been found in raw chicken. So far, 92 people have fallen ill.

The outbreak has been noted in 29 states. The CDC stated that they were not advising consumers to avoid eating properly cooked chicken, or that retailer’s stop selling raw chicken products.

The US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) is monitoring the salmonella outbreak. The Food Safety News said:

"Federal officials are investigating an outbreak of antibiotic-resistant Salmonella that has sickened at least 92 people and had been traced to raw chicken from multiple sources and sold under various brands."

For more on this story go to our Twitter account @amomama_usa. The people who fell ill from the bacteria came in contact with raw chicken.

Their ages ranged from 1 to a 105 with 21 being hospitalized and no one dying. The strain of Salmonella Infantis was said to be resistant against multiple antibiotics.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said:

“Of 54 people interviewed, 48 — 89 percent — people interviewed reported preparing or eating chicken products that were purchased raw, including ground chicken, chicken pieces, and whole chicken.”

The people who got sick bought many different brands of raw chicken products from multiple stores. One person got sick after pets in their home ate raw ground chicken pet food.

Another one happened to be living with someone who works in a facility that raises or processes chickens. The CDC and USDA-FSIS have spoken with representatives from the chicken industry.

They’ve asked them what steps they were taking to reduce Salmonella contamination. Some symptoms of the infection include diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps which appear 12 to 72 hours after being exposed to the bacteria.

In North Carolina, a company issued a recall of more than 89,000 pounds of Johnson County Hams of Smithfield ready-to-eat meat products after the likelihood of listeria contamination. So far, one person has died and three are ill.

Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, nausea, diarrhea, and in rare cases, death.