Recently U.S. health officials have announced that cucumbers that are contaminated with Salmonella bacteria may have made many people sick and sent them to the hospitals in almost 25 states. Researchers have conducted some tests and found that cucumbers that are distributed by a company known as Fresh Start Produce were infected by this bacterium. Then this company recalled those cucumbers that were sent to some states between May 17 and May 21. Â
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that people should not sell these cucumbers anymore. Researchers are continuously tracking and testing this strain to know if it is causing the outbreak. The CDC has found 162 cases of salmonella bacteria between March 11 and May 16. They think it is linked to these recalled cucumbers. 54 of these people were hospitalized. But no deaths have been reported yet. Â
Health officials are suggesting people not to eat the recalled cucumbers. They also suggest that if people want to buy cucumbers, they should ask the shopkeeper from where they have bought them. They should not buy them if they are part of the recall. People should clean surfaces of things that may have been in contact with these infected cucumbers. They can use hot water, soapy water or dish water to clean them. Â
The CDC and the U.S, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have come together to know more about the second outbreak that has infected 158 people. They are continuously trying to understand if this outbreak is related to the recalled cucumbers as 2 of these people ate these cucumbers. Â
Salmonella infection shows some symptoms such as diarrhea, stomach cramps and fever. People can get these symptoms between six hours and six days after eating contaminated food. Most of the people do not need any treatment and get better within a week. But young children and people above 65 need proper treatment and more attention as sometimes they can become more sick. Â
People should be very careful while buying cucumbers or anything that can cause salmonella infection. They need to clean everything that may have been in contact of infected things. They should get proper treatment if they have symptoms of salmonella infection. So, by doing these things they can reduce the risk of salmonella infection. Â
