100s Sickened as Salmonella Outbreak Hits 23 US States

Salmonella bacteria (Photo via CDC)

Outbreak of salmonella across 23 US states has sickened hundreds of people, resulting in an investigation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Oregon has so far reported the most cases of salmonella, 51, with a total of 212 people infected across the states as of July 23.

"This outbreak is rapidly growing in size. A specific food item, grocery store, or restaurant chain has not been identified as the source of infections," the CDC said Friday.

The CDC did not prohibit any specific food in order to avoid the disease, urging those infected to "report your illness to your local health department and talk to a healthcare provider."

"CDC is not recommending that consumers avoid any particular food at this time. Restaurants and retailers are not advised to avoid serving or selling any particular food. We will provide more information as it becomes available."

From six hours to six days after being exposed to the bacteria, most of those infected with the salmonella  strain develop diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps.

The new states infected -- since the last update on Tuesday -- are Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Maine, North Dakota, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Virginia.

The latest outbreak comes amid the coronavirus outbreak which has infected more than four million people in the United States, and killed nearly 150 thousand others.

According to CDC estimation, Salmonella bacteria causes about 1.35 million infections, 26,500 hospitalizations, and 420 deaths in the United States every year.