Mega Doctor News
Mega Doctor News
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a food safety alert following a multistate outbreak of Salmonella infections linked to contaminated jalapeño peppers. Federal health officials, alongside state agencies, are actively investigating dozens of reported illnesses across multiple states, advising consumers, restaurants, and retailers to check their inventories and discard any affected produce. Salmonella exposure can cause severe gastrointestinal symptoms, including fever, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea, with young children, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals facing the highest risk of severe complications. Consumers are urged to practice proper food hygiene, thoroughly wash fresh produce, and seek immediate medical attention if they experience severe symptoms after consuming jalapeños.
Key Points:
- 345 people across 27 states have gotten sick with the same strain of Salmonella that has now been linked to jalapeños.
- Thirty-six people have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.
- According to traceback information, these jalapeños were from Sinaloa, Mexico and distributed by Coast Citrus Distributors.
- Coast Citrus Distributors jalapeño peppers were primarily distributed to restaurants or wholesale. Coast Citrus Distributors are recalling and notifying their customers.
- After being notified about the outbreak, Chipotle Mexican Grill and Qdoba stopped serving affected jalapeño peppers. Given their actions to remove product from their stores, neither of these establishments are considered a current ongoing risk to consumers in this outbreak.
- FDA is working to determine if recalled jalapeños went to grocery stores. If affected jalapeño peppers were also available at stores, FDA may announce additional recalls on their recalls page. If you have recalled jalapeño peppers at home, do not eat them.
What You Should Do:
- Check with your place of purchase to confirm the source of jalapeño peppers.
- If you have recalled jalapeño peppers at home, do not eat them.
What Businesses Should Do:
- Do not sell or serve recalled jalapeño peppers.
- Wash and sanitize items and surfaces that may have come in contact with recalled jalapeño peppers.
- See FDA’s advisory for more information for businesses.
About Salmonella:
- Most people infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps 6 hours to 6 days after being exposed to the bacteria.
- The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most people recover without treatment.
- In some people, the illness may be so severe that the patient is hospitalized.
- Children younger than 5, adults 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to have severe illness.
If you have questions about cases in a particular state, please call that state’s health department.
Information source: CDC
