Three people in Vermont and four people in New Hampshire have been sickened by salmonella believed to be associated with bean sprouts, health officials in the two states said Friday.
The Centers for Disease Control reported Friday that 68 people in 10 states, including Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, have become ill as part of the outbreak. Eleven people were hospitalized and none have died. Health officials in Vermont said three of the cases were in Vermont, and New Hampshire said it has four associated cases.
The CDC said a review of records and invoices at restaurants in the northeast where people became ill shows they ate bean sprouts from Wonton Food, Inc. of Brooklyn, New York.
"The investigation by state and federal partners is still underway, but consumers should avoid eating bean sprouts grown and sold by Wonton Food, Inc.," the Vermont Departmetn of Health said. "Restaurants and grocery stores have been advised not to serve or sell bean sprouts from this firm."
Elizabeth Daly, chief of the Infectious Disease Surveillance Section at the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, said New Hampshire is also involved in the investigation.
"We are participating in that cluster investigation," she said. "I believe it's the same based on the fact that it's suspected to be bean sprouts, but that hasn't been confirmed in any way."
She said there are four people in New Hampshire who are part of the investigation. She wasn't sure if any of them had to be hospitalized.
Massachusetts
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Earlier on Friday, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced that it was investigating a possible salmonella cluster in Massachusetts and across state lines. It didn't say how many cases were being treated, and Massachusetts officials did not say if the source is the same as the outbreak being investigated in Vermont and New Hampshire.
Infection with salmonella typically causes diarrhea, vomiting, fever and abdominal cramps. Illness can be severe and require hospitalization. Young children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems are more likely to develop severe illness. It can be fatal without prompt treatment.
