CDC issues final update on Salmonella Reading outbreak

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued its final update on the outbreak of Salmonella Reading in the turkey industry. It cautions that people can still get sick, however.

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The Salmonella Reading outbreak has been linked to ground turkey meat and resulted in product recalls. (treb2864 | Bigstock.com)
The Salmonella Reading outbreak has been linked to ground turkey meat and resulted in product recalls. (treb2864 | Bigstock.com)

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued its final update on the outbreak of Salmonella Reading in the turkey industry.

Brittany Behm, a spokeswoman for the CDC’s Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases, said the investigation is transitioning to routine surveillance. This means the CDC will not post further public updates unless there is an increase in cases.

On April 30, 2019, the CDC issued a final update for its investigation into the outbreak of the Salmonella serotype which, according to its investigation, caused 133 hospitalizations and one death across 42 states.

The outbreak is linked to raw and ground turkey products and resulted in product recalls in 2018.

“The number of reported new illnesses has decreased, but people could continue to get sick,” the CDC update said. “People can get a Salmonella infection from eating undercooked turkey or touching raw turkey, including packaged raw pet food.”

The update said the most recent illness linked to Salmonella Reading started on March 31, 2019. The CDC said the outbreak strain could remain present in live turkeys and raw turkey products “until actions from industry further reduce Salmonella Reading contamination.”

If there is an increase in new cases in the future, the CDC will provide further updates, according to the agency.

In a statement, the National Turkey Federation said the update is good news, but the industry remains focused on controlling all Salmonella.

“Members of the National Turkey Federation are committed to working in a collaborative manner to control Salmonella and making continuous improvements in every area of food processing and safety,” the statement said. “The industry is utilizing all resources available to us, from developing updated best practices for controlling Salmonella to exploring innovative technologies, to meet this challenge head on.

“Food safety is, and has always been, the top priority for the turkey industry. That will not change.”

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