At Least Five Lawsuits Filed.

As of August 27, 2015, 152 ill people infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:- have been reported from Washington. Since the last update on August 14, 18 more ill people have been reported.

Among people for whom information is available, illnesses started on dates ranging from April 25, 2015 to August 12, 2015. Ill people range in age from 1 to 90 years, with a median age of 35. Forty-seven percent of ill people are female. Among 144 ill people with available information, 24 (17%) report being hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Illnesses that occurred after August 13, 2015 might not be reported yet due to the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported. This takes an average of 2 to 4 weeks. Please see the Timeline for Reporting Cases of Salmonella Infection for more details.

Epidemiologic, laboratory, and traceback findings identified pork produced by Kapowsin Meats as a likely source of this outbreak of Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:- infections. This investigation is ongoing.

In ongoing interviews, ill people answered questions about foods eaten and other exposures in the week before they became ill. Of 89 people for whom information is available, 65 (73%) reported eating pork in the week before becoming ill. This proportion was significantly higher than results from a survey of healthy people in which 43% reported eating pork in the week before they were interviewed.

USDA-FSIS has been conducting intensified sampling at Kapowsin Meats while this establishment took steps to address sanitary conditions at their facility after the original recall on August 13, 2015. Sampling revealed positive results for Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:- on whole pigs for barbeque, associated pork products, and throughout the establishment. Kapowsin Meats has voluntarily suspended operations. As a result of the ongoing investigation, on August 27, 2015, Kapowsin Meats issued an expanded recall of approximately 523,380 pounds of pork products that may be contaminated with Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:-. Recalled pork products include whole pigs for barbeque and fabricated pork products including various pork offal products, pork blood, and pork trim. The products subject to recall bear the establishment number “Est. 1628” inside the USDA mark of inspection and were produced on several dates between April 18, 2015 and August 26, 2015. The products were shipped to various individuals, retail locations, institutions, and distributors in Alaska, Oregon, and Washington.