I’m a bit hard pressed to recall an announcement by the CDC of a foodborne illness outbreak.  I am sure that in the past 30 years it has happened, but I do not recall it.

As of October 22, 2021, 20 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:- have been reported from eight states – California 8, Illinois 2, Kansas 1, Michigan 3, Minnesota 3, New Jersey 1, New York 1 and Virginia 1. Illnesses started on dates ranging from September 18, 2021, to October 3, 2021

Sick people range in age from 2 to 75 years, with a median age of 11. Most of the sick people (80%) are younger than 18, and 65% are female. Of 11 people with information available, 3 have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

State and local public health officials are interviewing people about the foods they ate in the week before they got sick. Among nine people interviewed, all (100%) reported eating salami sticks. This percentage was significantly higher than the 39.8% of respondents who reported eating salami, pepperoni, or other Italian-style meat in the FoodNet Population Survey—a survey that helps estimate how often people eat various foods. This comparison suggests that people in this outbreak got sick from eating salami sticks.

Of the nine people who reported eating salami sticks, eight ate or may have eaten Citterio brand Premium Italian-Style Salame Sticks purchased from Trader Joe’s grocery stores.

Public health investigators are using the PulseNet system to identify illnesses that may be part of this outbreak. CDC PulseNet manages a national database of DNA fingerprints of bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses. DNA fingerprinting is performed on bacteria using a method called whole genome sequencing (WGS). WGS showed that bacteria from sick people’s samples are closely related genetically. This suggests that people in this outbreak got sick from the same food.

CDC is advising not to eat, sell, or serve Citterio brand Premium Italian-Style Salame Sticks regardless of where they were purchased.

Salmonella:  Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of Salmonella outbreaks. The Salmonella lawyers of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of Salmonella and other foodborne illness outbreaks and have recovered over $800 million for clients.  Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation.  Our Salmonella lawyers have litigated Salmonella cases stemming from outbreaks traced to a variety of foods, such as cantaloupe, tomatoes, ground turkey, salami, sprouts, cereal, peanut butter, and food served in restaurants.  The law firm has brought Salmonella lawsuits against such companies as Cargill, ConAgra, Peanut Corporation of America, Sheetz, Taco Bell, Subway and Wal-Mart.

If you or a family member became ill with a Salmonella infection, including Reactive Arthritis or Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), after consuming food and you’re interested in pursuing a legal claim, contact the Marler Clark Salmonella attorneys for a free case evaluation.

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