FOOD SAFETY

Don't eat raw tomatoes, state health officials warn
Texas is among nine states involved in a Salmonealla outbreak linked to tomatoes.
By Mary Ann Roser

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF


Tuesday, June 03, 2008

The Department of State Health Services is telling consumers to avoid eating two of the most popular kinds of tomatoes unless they are cooked, as health authorities investigate a nine-state outbreak of salmonella that has sickened 21 people in Texas, including a Hays County resident.

No one has died in any of the nine states, according to Emily Palmer, spokeswoman for the state health department. Nor has the Food and Drug Administration, which is involved in the investigation, asked grocers or restaurants to pull tomatoes from shelves or menus.

"Right now we are pretty much looking at advising the public. That advice came through the CDC last night," Palmer said, referring to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

The advice is to avoid eating raw Roma or full-sized tomatoes until local, state and federal investigators pinpoint the source of the contamination. Tomatoes that are home-grown or still attached to a vine are OK to eat, Palmer said.

Cooking tomatoes to 145 degrees for at least 15 seconds also will kill salmonella bacteria.

The investigation is in the early stages, and officials don't know the source of the contaminated tomatoes or the type of tomatoes that have sickened people, Palmer said.

Symptoms of salmonella infection can include headache, stomach pain, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. The illness can last up to a week, and though most people recover on their own, some people might need to be hospitalized.

Anyone with symptoms is advised to drink lots of water, rest and see a doctor.

State health officials identified the first case in Texas in mid-April in Harris County, Palmer said. Since then, officials have found cases in Fort Bend, Dallas, Tarrant, Hays and Cameron counties.

In addition to Texas, cases have been reported in New Mexico, Arizona, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Illinois and Indiana.

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