February 15, 2007 Health Department Issues Statement on Salmonella

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Feb 15, 2007 -

Baton Rouge – The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are investigating an outbreak of an illness caused by Salmonella.

To date, CDC has identified 288 patients from 39 states. There have been no reported deaths. No one from Louisiana has been diagnosed with a Salmonella-related illness.

The 39 states with reported illness are:  Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

The CDC reports that epidemiologic evidence indicates Peter Pan brand peanut butter with the product code “2111” on the lid of the jar is the cause of the outbreak. Some peanut butter sold under the label Great Value is produced at the same plant as Peter Pan and is likely at the same risk of being contaminated.

People who find this brand of peanut butter with the “2111” source code are advised to return it to the store where it was purchased.

Although there are no confirmed cases of illness in Louisiana, people who have recently eaten this peanut butter brand and experienced any symptoms for Salmonella should consult their doctor or health care provider.

Most people infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most persons recover without treatment. However, in some persons the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized.

The outbreak investigation is based on cases documented from August 1, 2006 to January 21, 2007. Detection of this outbreak was based on information from state and national CDC surveillance system. Such a system is in place in Louisiana.