Salmonella Treatment, Symptoms & Definition: Outbreak Linked to Sushi, Frozen Tuna Contamination

• comments
• 
• 

The places where sushi and tuna sashimi are being sold are rapidly increasing. From the supermarket, delis, cafes, university cafeterias, even drugstores and dollar stores, these Japanese delicacies are no longer hard to find. Unfortunately, the more they become readily-made, the more they become carriers of deadly bacteria.

According to CNBC News, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has warned individuals to avoid consumption of any frozen tuna products, like sushi and sashimi, after the incidence of food recall from a processing plant in Indonesia.

The CDC said people are getting sick after being reported to have consumed sushi made with raw tuna. Salmonella is the bacteria being blamed for the outbreak, with 62 individuals affected, of which 11 people had to be confined in medical facilities due to severe symptoms.

Salmonella is a group of bacteria that cause individuals to experience diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps after consumption of contaminated food. It can lead to severe diarrhea and death if left untreated. Individuals with weakened immune systems, elderly and children are more than likely to get severe illness if they get infected.

ABC News writes that the outbreak could have been caused by the frozen yellowfin tuna sold by Osamu Corporation but processed in an Indonesian plant. Most of the tuna have been consumed in sushi and rolls, and have been bought in grocery stores.

The Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) said the Osamu Corporation has voluntarily recalled all the frozen yellowfin tuna that have been processed from May 9, 2014 to July 9, 2015. This action has taken effect after the Minnesota Department of Health has found samples to be contaminated with Salmonella.

CNN reports that 34 of the 64 cases have occurred in California, with 11 cases from Arizona, six from New Mexico, four from Minnesota, and one case each from Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. The age of the victims vary from below one to 83, making the youngest and elderly people with weakened defense system to be the most at risk.

Currently, the CDC and FDA are working together with local health department to investigate the outbreak since its May 21 declaration.

ABC News adds that infectious disease expert Dr. William Schaffner from the Vanderbilt University Medical School said the outbreak can be a lesson for everyone that proper surveillance is needed to avoid this from happening again. He adds that people, especially in places where FDA cannot penetrate, should be more cautious of what they eat.