10 Essential Facts About Salmonella

At least eight people have fallen ill with salmonella-related food poisoning in an outbreak that has triggered a recall of 1.8 million pounds of raw, stuffed chicken products, says the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in a July 12 announcement. The recall originally was announced July 2 but has been expanded to include additional products. The disease cases were identified in Minnesota and Wisconsin, but the recall is nationwide.

The culprit in this case is breaded, stuffed, raw chicken breasts produced by Barber Foods in the U.S. and No Name brand in Canada, identified after a cluster of salmonella illnesses cropped up in late June. Symptoms of salmonella poisoning, or salmonellosis, develop 12 to 72 hours after exposure and include:

diarrhea
abdominal cramps
fever
The symptoms can last four to seven days and resolve on their own with sufficient oral fluid intake, but very young or very old people or those with weakened immune systems can develop serious illness. Severe diarrhea can require hospitalization. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this type of bacteria, named after its discoverer, Dr. Daneil Elmer Salmon, is responsible for 1 million gastrointestinal illnesses each year in the U.S., with 19,000 hospitalizations and almost 400 deaths. Many cases may go unreported.

How can you avoid becoming one of these million? Here are 10 essential facts you need to know about salmonella and avoiding contamination.