The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has done an admirable job in the detection of illnesses in the Salmonella sprouts outbreak linked to Jimmy John’s sandwiches, and to Tiny Greens alfalfa and spicy sprouts, and reporting them so that the public knows what’s going on. Maybe its the fact that this major outbreak occurred during the busy holiday season, or maybe the numbers–i.e. reports of illness–are just getting too big. Whatever the case, instead of providing specific numbers of confirmed cases, IDPH has resorted to simply saying there are lots and lots of people ill.
Many people who have become ill since Nov. 1, 2010 with Salmonella, reported eating alfalfa sprouts at Jimmy John’s restaurants in 14 Illinois counties – Adams, Bureau, Champaign, Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kankakee, Lake, Macon, McHenry, McLean, Peoria, Will and Winnebago.