35 sickened in salmonella outbreak linked to massive 200M egg recall
PANTEGO, N.C. -- A month after more than 200 million eggs from a North Carolina farm were voluntarily recalled over salmonella fears, the Centers for Disease Control said 35 cases of salmonella across nine states had been reported.
The majority of the 35 cases were reported in states along the Eastern Seaboard: New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida all reported cases, and one case was also reported in Colorado. Eleven of the cases required hospitalization, though none have turned fatal.
People began falling ill as early as November 2017 and as recently as April 14, 2018, according to a CDC investigation. Eighty-eight percent of those with salmonella who were interviewed by local health officials reported eating shell eggs before they became sick, and 64 percent said they ate eggs at restaurants.
Due to a lag in reporting, illnesses that began after March 23 of this year might not yet have been fully accounted for.
Indiana-based Rose Acre Farms, one of the world's largest producers of eggs, issued the massive recall in mid-April. The eggs in question were distributed from a farm in Hyde County, North Carolina, and sold by various retailers under different brand names: Coburn Farms, Country Daybreak, Crystal Farms, Food Lion, Glenview, Great Value, Nelms, Publix, Sunshine Farms and Sunups. They were also delivered directly to restaurants.
Eggs included in the recall have the plant number P-1065 printed on the carton as well as a pack date (also known as a Julian date) between 011 and 102. Eggs sold at Publix and branded as Sunups are marked with plant number P-1359D, pack date 048A or 049A and best-by dates of APR 02 and APR 03.
A salmonella infection can cause diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps. Symptoms usually began 12-72 hours after exposure and last between four and seven days. The CDC has urged consumers to contact their doctor if they think they got sick from eating recalled eggs.
