NEW YORK (AP) — A salmonella outbreak tied to onions has sickened more than 650 people in 37 states, U.S. health officials said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said at least 129 people have been hospitalized. No one has died. Nearly all of the illnesses were reported in August and September, and the largest numbers of cases were in Texas and Oklahoma.
The outbreak has been traced to whole red, white and yellow onions imported from Chihuahua, Mexico, and distributed throughout the United States by ProSource Inc., the CDC saidthis week.
The company told health officials that the onions were last imported in late August. But onions can be stored for months and may still be in homes and businesses, officials said.
Consumers are advised not to buy or eat whole fresh red, white, or yellow onions imported from Chihuahua and distributed by ProSource, and to throw out any whole red, white, or yellow onions that do not have a sticker or packaging.
As of Wednesday, Oklahoma state epidemiologist Jolianne Stone said there were 15 known hospitalizations in the state, and asked Oklahomans to cooperate with public health investigators.
“Health department representatives will ask what you ate in the week before you started to get sick, so if you start feeling like you might have Salmonella, it’s a good idea to start making a list of the foods you’ve eaten during that time frame so that key information is readily available,” Stone said in a statement.
