What to Know
- Most people infected with salmonella develop diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps 12 to 72 hours after being exposed to the bacteria
- The illness usually lasts less than a week, and most people get better with no treatment
- In severe cases, though, people may need to be hospitalized. And in rare cases, salmonella infection can cause death
The CDC says it is investigating a drug-resistant salmonella outbreak linked to raw chicken that has sickened 92 people in 29 states, 22 percent of them from the tri-state area.
Twenty-one of the infected people have been hospitalized, though no deaths have been reported, the CDC said. Next to Pennsylvania (11), New York has seen the most cases (10), followed by New Jersey (9). Connecticut only has one cases linked to the outbreak, the CDC says.
According to the agency, it does not appear that outbreak is linked to a particular kind of raw chicken. The CDC said "many types of raw chicken products from a variety of sources" are thought to be contaminated. People who have gotten sick reported eating different types and brands of chicken bought in many different locations, the CDC said.
The agency also tested antibiotics on bacteria culled from some of the people who got sick and found the bacteria resistant to multiple drugs. Given all the factors, the CDC says it may be a widespread industry outbreak -- and it's working with industry reps to get the situation under control.
In the meantime, the CDC says it is not suggesting people stop eating properly cooked chicken or that retailers stop selling raw chicken products. It does, though, have a number of suggestions for avoiding infection. Among them: wash your hands, cook raw chicken thoroughly, don't feed raw chicken to pets and keep prep areas clean.
Most people infected with salmonella develop diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps 12 to 72 hours after being exposed to the bacteria. The illness usually lasts less than a week, and most people get better with no treatment. In severe cases, though, people may need to be hospitalized. And in rare cases, salmonella infection can cause death.
