Cucumbers are believed to be the cause of a multi-state salmonella outbreak that sickened more than 150 people across 25 states, including Michigan.
According to the CDC, 162 people got sick and 54 people were hospitalized due to this outbreak. No deaths had been reported as of Wednesday.
Four illnesses in Michigan were linked to the outbreak.
More testing was underway to determine if the salmonella found on cucumbers is the same strain as the one making people sick. Investigators were also working to find out if other cucumbers are affected.
Which cucumbers were recalled?
Fresh Start Produce Sales Inc. out of Delray, Florida, recalled whole cucumbers shipped in bulk cartons from May 17 through May 21, 2024. They were sent to retail distribution centers, wholesalers, and food service distributors in 14 states.
Michigan is not among the list of states where cucumbers were originally shipped, but sellers may have shipped them to Michigan or re-packaged them for stores. The list of states includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
The cucumbers should no longer be in stores. The recall did not include English cucumbers or mini cucumbers.
What should you do?
The CDC said that people should not eat any recalled cucumbers. If you don’t know where you purchased the cucumbers you should throw them away. Wash items and surfaces that may have come in contact with the recalled cucumbers using hot soapy water or a dishwasher.
Symptoms of salmonella
Salmonella are a group of bacteria that can cause gastrointestinal illness and fever called salmonellosis.
Most people infected with salmonella will begin to develop symptoms 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts four to seven days and most people recover without treatment.
Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps. More severe cases of salmonellosis may include a high fever, aches, headaches, lethargy, a rash, blood in the urine or stool, and in some cases may become fatal.
Children younger than five, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to have severe salmonellosis infections.