State Counting Salmonella Cases

Nashville- Eighteen cases of salmonella reported in Tennessee since October may be linked to the contaminated peanut butter, state officials said on Thursday.

Seven of the patients in those cases were hospitalized at some point were all released and have recovered fully, said Dr. Tim Jones, Deputy State Epidemiologists for the State Department Of Health.

The cases were scattered across Tennessee and reported from October till last week. Victims ranged from an infant to 87 years old. Their symptoms included, diarrhea, fever, dehydration, abdominal pain and vomiting.

Jones said he wouldn't be surprised if more cases over the next few weeks as news of the outbreaks spreads. One of the risks with this it that with peanut butter, people tend to keep it in the cupboard for weeks.

State health records show that 837 total cases of salmonella in Tennessee in all of 2006. There have been 25 cases reported as of February 3rd. Nearly 300 people in 39 states have fallen ill since August, and Federal health investigators and certain batches of Wal-Marts great value house brand.

Shoppers across the country were warned to throw out jars with a product code on the lid beginning with "214," which denotes the Sylvester, Ga. plant where it was made. A cause for the contamination has not been determined.

Customers with suspected peanut butter contamination should mail in their jar lids with the code numbers on it, so that it can be traced.

Both manufactured by Con-Agra Foods.

Sources:
The Knoxville News