Fifty-six people in Washington are sick with Salmonella poisoning after consuming raw pork. All of the cases are in Washington, and are spread out between eight counties in the state. A majority of the cases are in King County, were 44 have been sickened. The outbreak was not limited to one event or restaurant, as clusters of the illness have sprung up from a variety of events across the state. Five people have needed to be hospitalized. An exact source of the outbreak has not been uncovered as of yet, but investigators have linked raw pork to the outbreak.
Salmonella infections will begin to show symptoms between 12 and 72 hours after the germ enters the body. The infection will cause symptoms such as diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps. In many cases, a patient will recover within a week without a need for medical intervention. In some cases, however, the illness will worsen and require a medical professional to be contacted.
