Filed under: Health & safety, Eating & nutrition, In the newsHere is some better-late-than-never information: tomatoes have been making people sick since mid-April. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 145 cases of salmonella infections in 16 states have been traced to raw tomatoes. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration believes that some large tomatoes, including Roma, round red and red plum are carrying Salmonella sereotype Saintpaul and should be avoided. However, smaller varieties such as cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes and those sold still attached to their vines are considered safe. In addition, raw red plum, raw red Roma, or raw red round tomatoes grown and harvested in specific locations are thought to be safe as well. You can find a list of those locations here.A person infected with Salmonella will usually develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12-72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts about 4 to 7 days and most people recover without treatment. However, severe infections are more likely in infants, the elderly and those with impaired immune systems. With a severe infection, the Salmonella can spread from the intestines to the bloodstream and on to other body sites and could even cause death if not properly treated with antibiotics. Officials recommend consulting a health care provider if diarrhea lasts longer than two days for an adult, one day for a child younger than 4, or eight hours for an infant.The FDA is also recommending that U.S. retail outlets, restaurants, and food service operators offer only those tomatoes deemed safe. But to be sure, you might want to think twice before dipping your chip in a bowl of fresh salsa at your favorite Mexican restaurant. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Posted on Mon, 09 Jun 2008 18:03:00 EST at http://www.parentdish.com/2008/06/09/tom...-outbreak/
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