Washington State investigators have now confirmed a growing number of illnesses in the outbreak of a rare strain of Salmonella, Salmonella I, 4, 5, 12:i:-, with 90 victims identified including 6 hospitalizations. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is now in taking a leading role in warning the public in Washington State about this outbreak of Salmonella, warning potential victims to be vigilant when consuming pork prepared from the roasting of whole pigs. This warning coincides with a Washington State request to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to send in a special team, known as an Epi-Aid group, to help with the complex investigation. The Epi-Aid group will be working with state officials and the investigative team from the FSIS to help unravel the source of the Salmonella, which to date has been linked to eating, or being exposed to, raw pork. So far, investigators have linked the illnesses to consumption of roasted pigs prepared at private events, but no common supplier has been identified in the outbreak of this rare strain of Salmonella bacteria.
This particular strain of Salmonella, Salmonella I, 4, 5, 12:i:-, has been showing up recently in other parts of the nation, but this is its first Washington State appearance. The illnesses associated with this outbreak report onset dates beginning as early as April 25th, with the latest reported on July 21st. One FSIS spokesperson explained that “roasting a pig is a complex undertaking with numerous potential food handling issues,” with handlers needing to frequently wash their hands in hot, soapy water; a need to prevent cross-contamination in the kitchen, especially with utensils and cutting boards; and the need to cook all pork to an internal temperature of 145 degrees.
So far, at least 55 of the 90 reported cases come from King County, but others have been reported in Snohomish, Kitsap, Mason, Thurston, Pierce, Grays Harbor, Yakima and Clark counties.
If you or a loved one are a victim of the Raw Pork Salmonella Outbreak, call the Salmonella Clam Center at 1-888-335-4901.
