Salmonella cases grow in Washington, nationwide

The number of Washingtonians sickened by a nationwide outbreak of an unusual salmonella strain linked to certain types of fresh produce has grown from four to 11, state health officials said Wednesday.

The new Salmonella Saintpaul cases occurred in King, Snohomish, Yakima, Pierce, Kitsap and Walla Walla counties in May and June, said Donn Moyer, a Department of Health spokesman. All have recovered.

More than 1,000 people in 41 states have fallen ill since April. Federal food safety and health officials initially linked the outbreak to certain types of raw tomatoes but have since expanded their investigation to include fresh serrano and jalapeño peppers and fresh cilantro.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises infants, the elderly and consumers with impaired immune systems to avoid commercially grown raw jalapeño and serrano peppers (often found in fresh salsas) until health officials can guarantee contaminated produce is off the market. The Food and Drug Administration suggests limiting raw-tomato consumption to cherry, grape and on-the-vine varieties, homegrown tomatoes or any fresh tomato grown in location declared safe (including Washington, California and Canada) on its home page at www.fda.gov.

Visit www.cdc.gov/salmonella/saintpaul for additional information.

Karen Gaudette: 206-515-5618 or kgaudette@seattletimes.com