Latest news with #outbreak
New York Times
5 hours ago
- Business
- New York Times
Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Cucumbers Sickens 45 People
A salmonella outbreak linked to cucumbers has sickened at least 45 people across 18 states, health officials said Friday and they warned that the number of people infected was likely higher. Companies including Target have issued recalls for products with cucumbers that may be contaminated. The cases have been reported across the Midwest and East Coast, with nearly a third of them in Georgia and Florida, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It said 16 people had been hospitalized. Salmonella can cause diarrhea, fever, stomach cramps and dehydration. Health officials have linked the outbreak to Bedner Growers, a cucumber grower based in Boynton Beach, Fla., that sells to wholesale distributors and directly to consumers. Potentially contaminated cucumbers, distributed between April 29 and May 19, were sold widely to stores and restaurants, the C.D.C. said. Eight of the sick people had been on cruise ships in the week before they fell ill, all departing from ports in Florida, the C.D.C. said. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Salmonella outbreak in cucumbers expands to 18 states, 45 sickened
A salmonella outbreak traced to a Florida-based cucumber producer has expanded to include 45 people reporting illness in 18 states, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday. Target stores joined a growing list of retailers that sold recalled cucumbers or ready-to-eat products featuring the fruit, and it's warning that purchasers should throw them away. The retailer issued a list of recalled products, including a Greek-style chicken salad from Boar's Head and several types of sushi restaurant staples, such as maki rolls with tempura and California rolls, all sold under the Mai brand. Last week, grocery store chain Walmart was added to the list of retailers urging customers to put the possibly tainted products in the trash, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; its Marketside cucumber slices are a part of the recall. Patients connected to the outbreak have turned up in Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, the FDA said on Friday. Of 45 people who have reported illness connected to the outbreak, 16 have been hospitalized, the agency said. No deaths have been reported. While investigators' focus has been on the strain salmonella montevideo, multiple other strains were detected in samples taken from a Pennsylvania distribution center belonging to Florida-based Bedner Growers, believed to be a source, the FDA said in its Friday statement. The FDA said that those different strains so far appear to be unrelated to the spring outbreak, but that it is investigating further alongside scientists from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "CDC is working to determine if additional human illnesses match these additional strains," the FDA said. "Further analysis of the sample is pending." All the illnesses so far have been connected to cucumbers produced by Bedner and distributed by Fresh Start Produce Sales, the agency said. The cucumbers and products that contained them were sold from April 29 to May 19, the FDA said. The first retailers noted for selling the potentially tainted cucumbers were three Bedner's Farm Fresh Market locations in Florida, but the list of public-facing sellers has continued to increase. Other distributors as well as eateries were told they may have also purchased the possibly tainted cucumbers, labeled for wholesale as 'supers,' 'selects,' or 'plains," the FDA said. FDA inspectors unearthed tainted cucumbers during an inspection last month of Bedner Growers' facilities, it said. The review was a follow-up to a Salmonella Africana outbreak linked to the producer last year, according to the agency. Bedner's did not immediately respond to a request for comment late Friday. A spokesperson for Fresh Start Produce Sales said last week that the company "is committed to protecting public health and helping Bedner Growers with its recall." Salmonella is a bacterium that can thrive amid animals and their fecal matter and contaminate nearby produce, which can reach the dinner table if unwashed, according to the FDA and CDC. Older people, children under 5, and those with compromised immune systems are particularly susceptible to the salmonella's worst symptoms and even death. Patients sickened by it can develop stomach cramps, diarrhea, nausea and the urge to vomit anywhere from six hours to six days after infection, the CDC says. Salmonella is 'a leading cause of foodborne illness, hospitalizations, and deaths in the United States and worldwide," the CDC states. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Salmonella update: Cruise ship outbreak linked to recalled cucumbers
The Brief At least 45 people in 18 states have been sickened in a salmonella outbreak. The outbreak includes cruise ship passengers exposed to recalled cucumbers. Cucumbers from Bedner Growers were recalled after testing positive for salmonella. LOS ANGELES - Federal health officials are investigating a salmonella outbreak tied to recalled cucumbers that has sickened at least 45 people across 18 states—including passengers on six different cruise ships. The cucumbers were distributed to grocery stores, hospitals, restaurants, and cruise lines. At least 16 people have been hospitalized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The outbreak has been traced to cucumbers produced by Florida-based Bedner Growers and distributed by Fresh Start Produce Sales. The contaminated cucumbers were sold between April 29 and May 19. The backstory The CDC confirmed that illnesses have been reported from people aboard six cruise ships that departed Florida ports between late March and mid-April. It's not yet clear whether the cucumbers were served onboard or consumed shortly before embarkation, but the illnesses are part of the same genetic outbreak strain. The outbreak was discovered during a follow-up inspection tied to a 2024 salmonella outbreak that also involved Bedner Growers. That prior outbreak sickened more than 550 people. By the numbers The recalled cucumbers were shipped to retailers, hospitals, restaurants, and cruise lines in multiple states. Target was among the retailers affected, issuing recalls for: Whole cucumbers Salads Vegetable rolls Deli items containing cucumbers The FDA confirmed that a cucumber sample from a Pennsylvania distribution center tested positive for the same salmonella strain found in infected patients. Investigators also detected multiple additional salmonella strains in samples connected to the same grower. Why you should care Salmonella infection can cause diarrhea, stomach cramps, vomiting, fever, and dehydration. Most healthy people recover without treatment within a week, but serious illness can occur in: Children under 5 Adults over 65 People with weakened immune systems Anyone who consumed cucumbers or prepared foods with cucumbers between late April and mid-May and is experiencing symptoms is urged to contact a healthcare provider. What's next The CDC and FDA continue to monitor for new cases and are working to determine whether other contaminated products or additional states may be involved. Further recalls may be issued as testing expands. Consumers are advised to check their refrigerators and discard any recalled cucumbers or ready-to-eat items containing cucumbers purchased between April 29 and May 19. Surfaces and containers that touched the cucumbers should also be washed and sanitized. The Source This article is based on information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as of May 31, 2025. The outbreak investigation traces back to cucumbers from Bedner Growers and includes cruise ship passengers among those affected. Additional details were sourced from product recall notices and public health updates.
CBS News
20 hours ago
- Climate
- CBS News
40 years ago, a tornado outbreak killed 75 people in Pennsylvania
It's been 40 years since western Pennsylvania endured one of the worst tornado outbreaks ever to hit the area. On May 31, 1985, over the span of nine hours, more than 40 tornadoes touched down in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Ontario, Canada. Half of those tornadoes hit western Pennsylvania. The worst included four F-3 tornadoes, including one that tracked 39 miles through Beaver and Butler counties. Four F-4 tornadoes hit Crawford, Erie, Forest, Mercer and Venango counties. And the strongest and deadliest tornado of the outbreak was an F-5 that tracked from Ravenna, Ohio, 47 miles to Wheatland in Mercer County. Eighty-nine people were killed in the outbreak, with 75 of those lives lost in Pennsylvania. More than 1,000 people were hurt. The tornadoes caused $600 million in damage. How did the 1985 tornado outbreak happen? An unseasonably hot and humid air mass flowed northeast from the south during the morning and midday hours of May 31, 1985. This fuel was able to keep building through the afternoon because of a strong cap or lid of warm and dry air in the middle of the atmosphere. By early evening, the cap ferociously broke open as a strong cold front and jet stream winds moved in from the west, resulting in rotating storms that produced dozens of strong to violent tornadoes. To mark 40 years since that devastating outbreak, KDKA First Alert Meteorologist Trey Fulbright put together a series of stories as a way to remember the victims, the survivors and the resilience of so many local communities. You can watch the full video in the player above.
Forbes
a day ago
- General
- Forbes
CDC Issues New Salmonella Warning Over Cucumbers Sold In 18 States
A salmonella outbreak linked to cucumber items has reached 18 states, according to a Friday update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which identified the outbreak last week and said recalled cucumbers should no longer be on sale. The outbreak has been traced to cases in 18 states. (Photo by) The recall targets whole fresh cucumbers grown by Bedner Growers Inc. distributed between April 29 and May 19 to stores and businesses like Target, which issued its recall of the cucumbers on May 19. The outbreak has infected 45 people and hospitalized 16 across 18 states, according to the CDC, which noted the recalled cucumbers are not organic. The Food and Drug Administration said the cucumbers 'may have been sold individually or in smaller packages, with or without a label that may not bear the same brand, product name, or best by date.' Cases linked to the recall have been identified in California, Colorado, Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and Florida, according to the FDA. States with the highest number of cases are Georgia and Florida, the latter of which is the headquarters of Bedner Growers. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
