A distributor in California has begun to recall cucumbers imported from Mexico after they were tagged as the possible cause of the Salmonella outbreak in the United States. According to information provided by health officials of the country, the outbreak so far has killed a woman and has left at least 285 more sick.
According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), cucumbers might be responsible for the outbreak of salmonella poona, which started on July 3 and gradually invaded 27 states.
The epidemic lead to death of a 99 year old woman in San Diego and resulted in hospitalization of a total of 53 people. What’s more alarming is that more than 50% of the individuals infected by the bacteria are below the age of 18 years.
The CDC informed that several investigations have linked this bacterial outbreak to cucumbers dispensed by the San Diego-based distributor Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce. Due to this claim by the agency, the company on Friday announced that it will be recalling all cucumbers produced in northern Mexico and distributed under the “Limited Edition” label of the company between August 1 and Thursday, September 3.
Consumers who have already purchased cucumbers belonging to the above mentioned category are advised to dispose them of or return them to Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce.
In a recent statement of his, the president of the company Fred Williamson said that for Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce welfare and safety of consumers hold maximum priority. He added that his company is taking every possible precaution for preventing further consumption of the infected cucumbers and is also putting in the best possible efforts for finding out if and how these cucumbers are responsible for the ongoing salmonella outbreak in the US.
These cucumbers were distributed in 22 states, out of which 18 have reported salmonella infections. The 18 states to report infections are Kansas, Alaska, California, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Idaho, Illinois, Montana, Minnesota, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Oregon, Utah, and Texas.
Nine other states also reported infections although the products never got shipped to those states; these nine states are: New York, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Ohio, and Virginia.
The four states that haven’t yet reported any infection in spite of receiving cucumber shipments are New Jersey, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Florida.
