Salmonella Illnesses Now Top 1,000

[WhiteTara]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/09/AR2008070901893.html

WEDNESDAY, July 9 (HealthDay News) -- The number of people sickened in the ongoing salmonella outbreak has now surpassed 1,000, and while certain types of tomatoes remain the suspected cause, U.S. health officials on Wednesday added hot peppers and cilantro as potential suspects.

"We continue to get new reported cases every day," Dr. Robert Tauxe, deputy director of the division of foodborne, bacterial and mycotic diseases at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said during a late afternoon teleconference. "This is the largest foodborne outbreak in the United States."

Since the outbreak began in April, 1,017 people in 41 states, the District of Columbia and Canada have fallen ill, and at least 203 people have been hospitalized. One death -- a Texas man in his 80s -- has been associated with the outbreak. Also, a man in his 60s who died in Texas from cancer had a Salmonella Saintpaul infection at the time of his death, the CDC reported Wednesday on its Web site.

My personal thought is dirty packing sheds and dirtier processing plants.

Contamination can come from animal or human feces that contact the food during its processing or harvesting. New data about types of food contamination (food poisoning by Salmonella spp) is available from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Potential direct sources of Salmonella are pets such as turtles, dogs, cats, most farm animals, and humans that are infected or are carriers of the organisms.
http://www.medicinenet.com/salmonella/page2.htm

[HockeyMom]

1. Although the doctors never told me,

I think I had salmonella poisoning this past May. I had all the symptoms: vomiting, diarrhea, and dehydration. I was given IV, blood tests, and then given injections and tabs of Cipro, which caused other problems which I won't go into here.

My husband did not come down with this, even though we eat together all the time except for lunches. I used to buy supermarket prepared salads for myself at lunch time. I have to conclude that this was the only source of food my husband and I did not eat together.

The doctors at the clinic never asked me what I had eaten, either at that or subsequent visits. I wonder if they ever reported it.

[WhiteTara]

2. interesting that they wouldn't ask what you ate

I would think that would be right up there in the questions docs ask. As for the Cipro, here is an article that scared the bejeebus out of me! I won't be taking that drug ever again.

http://www.schmidtandclark.com/Cipro/
Cipro Side Effects & Tendon Damage Lawsuit
Cipro (Generic: Ciprofloxacin) is in a class of antibiotics called fluroquinolone, which have come under attack in recent months as being linked to serious adverse side effects. More specifically, Cipro has been linked to tendon damage and ruptures in the Achilles tendon, the rotator cuff (shoulder), the biceps, the hand, and the thumb.

Breaking News: On July 8, 2008, drug safety officials imposed the government's most urgent safety warning on Cipro and similar antibiotics, citing evidence that they might lead to serious tendon ruptures that could leave patients incapacitated and needing extensive surgery.

The Food and Drug Administration ordered makers of fluoroquinolone drugs -- a potent class of antibacterials -- to add a prominent "black box" warning to their products and develop literature for patients emphasizing the risks.

[TZ]

3. Hmm I think if the choice was dying from a superbug

like MRSA or something really nasty like Anthrax (which does occur naturally) I think I would risk the side effects.
Cost/benefit kind of deal. Cipro really can be a life saver.

[WhiteTara]

4. maybe so, it was prescribed for me for

some minor ailment. Life or death, I'll pack up on magnesium and take the Cipro, but definitely, I'll be very judicious.

[HockeyMom]

5. I got "minor" bleeding in the brain

They send me for a CAT scan when I complained of double vision 7 days after starting the CIPRO. I also had ringing in my ears about 3 days after I started taking it.

When I initially went to the clinic with my symptons, they immediately gave me IV and an injection of the CIPRO. Before I left, they gave me another injection of CIPRO. I was taking 500 mg twice a day after that for 10 days (didn't finish it). In the literature I later read, it said CIPRO was not recommended for anyone under 18 year old. Putting aside my age, I only weigh 105 lbs, which I am sure is the same as many 12 year olds. I remember the nurses kept saying how "tiny" I was as they administered to me.

Actually, I think they overdosed me on the CIPRO. I probably should have been given a similar, less potent drug (same as for teenagers).

[WhiteTara]

6. wow! I hope you are okay now!

THis is why they call it PRACTICING medicine. They don't have the schtick down yet!