As of September 4, 2015, at least 285 people have been infected with Salmonella Poona across 27 states after consuming contaminated cucumbers. The states affected include Alaska with 8 cases, Arizona with 60 cases, Arkansas with 6 cases, California with 51 cases, Colorado with 14 cases, Idaho with 8 cases, Illinois with 5 cases, Kansas with 1 case, Louisiana with 3 cases, Minnesota with 12 cases, Missouri with 7 cases, Montana with 11 cases, Nebraska with 2 cases, Nevada with 7 cases, New Mexico with 15 cases, New York with 4 cases, North Dakota with 1 case, Ohio with 2 cases, Oklahoma with 5 cases, Oregon with 3 cases, South Carolina 6, Texas with 9 cases, Utah with 30 cases, Virginia with 1 case, Washington with 9 cases, Wisconsin with 2 cases, and Wyoming with 3 cases. One person has died as a result of the outbreak.
The contaminated cucumbers were distributed at least in part by Andrew and Williamson Fresh Produce. The Limited Edition® label cucumbers were distributed to Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah. Between August 1 and September 2015 these cucumbers reached consumers through grocery stores and restaurants. The cucumbers could be found in stores such as Save Mart Supermarkets, Sam’s Club, United Supermarkets (which includes Amigos, Albertsons, Market Street, and United Express), H-E-B, Safeway, Kroger, Walmart, Costco, US Foods, and Fresh & Easy.
The recall was released to the public on September 8, 2015. It applies to cucumbers that were packaged in a black, green, and yellow colored carton with the label “Limited Edition Pole Grown Cucumbers”. The cucumbers were sold to the public in bulk, without any packaging visible. They have a dark green color and measure to be about 7 to 10 inches long. They are referred to as “Slicer” or “American” cucumbers.
Salmonella Poona is not a very common strain of Salmonella. Salmonella poisoning begins to show symptoms between 12 and 72 hours after infection. Symptoms of Salmonella poisoning include abdominal cramps, fever, diarrhea, and nausea. In many cases, someone infected with Salmonella will recover within a week without medical intervention. However, medical attention may be required worse cases. This outbreak has a hospitalization rate of 33%. This is 13% higher than the normal 20% rate associated with Salmonella outbreaks. If you or a loved one ate cucumbers since July 2015 and began to show symptoms of Salmonella poisoning, contact a medical professional.
