The Salmonella outbreak that prompted federal authorities to recall 207 million eggs due to potential contamination has sickened more people.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that at least 35 people have now been reported sick, across nine states. Eleven of those people have had to be hospitalized.
The outbreak was originally announced on April 16 and was traced to Rose Acre Farms and its facility in North Carolina.
The recalled eggs were distributed between Jan. 11 and April 12 and include a number of brands that don’t have the Rose Acre Farms name on them, including Great Value, Food Lion, and Sunshine Farms.
The Federal Drug Administration said during an investigation beginning in March that inspectors found more than a dozen rodents at the Rose Acre Farms facility.
Employees also touched dirty equipment and their bodies without washing their hands. Inspectors said that poor employee practices were observed, such as employees spraying detergent on eggs but immediately wiping it off, “not allowing the detergent to soak for the prescribed four minutes.”
Inspectors further noted that throughout the inspection they observed equipment including conveyor belts “with accumulated food debris (i.e. dried egg and shells) and grime, post sanitation.”
Federal authorities have urged consumers, restaurants, and others to throw away or return any eggs they suspect were affected by the recall and to wash all eggs before cooking them.
Check the egg carton in your home: 200+ million eggs have been recalled. Eggs produced by Rose Acre Farms have been linked to 35 Salmonella infections reported from nine states. More information on CDC’s website: https://t.co/e9WdfEaTmz pic.twitter.com/GKeRydl8CM
— CDC (@CDCgov) May 11, 2018
Food safety experts said that eating the eggs presents a danger of contracting the illness.
“Salmonella has no favorites,” Lars Johnson, a food safety expert, told Fox 9. “If you eat it, and eat enough of it, you will get sick.”
Anyone who thinks they’ve become ill from eating contaminated eggs should see their doctor, while it’s recommended in general that people should cook eggs until both the yolk and white are firm.
Salmonella can take 12 to 72 hours to affect someone and the illness typically lasts for four to seven days.
People who contract Salmonella should drink plenty of fluids and get rest. Antibiotics may be necessary if the infection spreads from the intestines to the bloodstream. The primary symptoms are diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps, and vomiting.
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