Health officials have reported Friday that the salmonella outbreak linked to raw chicken has already affected 317 people and still counting.
The U.S Department of Agriculture has recorded 278 illnesses on Monday from 18 different states mostly from California. Their investigation revealed that the contamination is from Foster Farms.
Cristopher Braden, director for food-borne diseases division at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that the outbreak involved salmonella Heidelberg in seven various strains, with some resistant to antibiotics.
Salmonella Heidelberg is one of the types of bacteria under the subspecies Salmonella enteric subsp. Enterica, which is a microbe that is gram-negative, flagellated and rod-shaped. This infection is spread through what is known as zoonosis. Normally transmission occurs between animals and humans and through salmonella contaminants in food.
The bacteria have reached nation-wide prevalence and its victim count has reached over 317. So far no fatalities have been reported. Health authorities say that the cause of the salmonella outbreak is raw chicken.
Currently the infection has yet to be contained. There were two incidences reported after September 24. Reporting of cases usually reach the CDC after two or three weeks later.
Salmonella cases have been found in no less than 20 states and Puerto Rico. Seventy-three percent were found in California.
According to USDA's Dan Englejohn, Foster Farms has immediately taken corrective measures and sent the USDA a plan that described its "substantive changes to their slaughter and processing.
CEO Ron Foster of Foster Farms said, "we have worked relentlessly to address these issues and will continue to do so as we work to regain consumer trust and confidence in the Foster Farms brand."
