US Agriculture Department Issues Health Warning

The U.S. Agriculture Department has issued a public health warning about raw ground beef products following the infection of dozens of people in Northeast US from the salmonella bacterium.

The U.S. Agriculture Department has issued a public health warning about raw ground beef products following the infection of dozens of people in Northeast US from the salmonella bacterium. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating a salmonella outbreak of at least 37 cases in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. Health officials said many of the people who became ill reported eating ground beef, and some ate the meat raw. “This was enough for us to warn consumers that ground beef may be the root of infections in this case,” said Matt Baun, spokesman for the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. “We wanted to warn consumers that, until we get more information, the best way to protect themselves is to cook their ground beef,” he added. CDC officials were not immediately available for comment. Salmonella, which sickens 1 million people annually, can cause vomiting, diarrhea and fever in healthy adults and can be fatal for elderly people or those with weak immune systems. Symptoms usually occur within eight to 72 hours of eating infected meat. About 600 Americans die from salmonella infections annually, according to federal health data. Baun said he was unaware of any deaths linked to the current outbreak. The USDA said it was investigating whether the tainted ground beef products originated from a common source. To prevent salmonella poisoning, USDA says meat and poultry products should be well cooked, without any indication of pinkness and blood in the middle. (Source: Reuters Health, Feb 2004)