A US-wide outbreak of Salmonella in which 11 people have been hospitalised has been traced back to a batch of raw tuna used in sushi that is sold in stores across the country.
The particular strain of Salmonella has infected 62 people in 11 states across the US, according to a report published on Thursday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and has now been traced as coming from a batch of yellowfin tuna that was processed in Indonesia before being sold on to US consumers through the AFC corporation.
The report reveals that on Tuesday the Osamu Coroporation voluntarily recalled yellowfin tuna from one processing plant in Indonesia that had been sold on to restaurants and stores in the US between 9 May and 9 July.
The CDC report states: “Epidemiologic and laboratory findings indicate that frozen raw tuna is the likely source of the infections. Most ill people in the outbreak reported eating sushi made with raw tuna in the week before becoming sick.”
Meanwhile the US Food and Drug Administration has reassured consumers that the infected tuna has been recalled by the Osamu Corporation “because the Minnesota Department of Health Investigators found samples of this product from one retail location in Minnesota to be contaminated with Salmonella”.
Four people from Minnesota had contracted the bug that causes severe diarrhea, stomach cramps and fever.
The FDA added that the distributors have removed the product from the marketplace and are destroying any remaining stock.
In a general warning to consumers, the CDC stressed that those at most risk from Salmonella poisoning, such as older people, pregnant women, young children and those with weakened immune systems should avoid eating raw fish.
