Salmonella outbreak latest news: cucumber recall extends to Canada

Wikimedia Commons/Muu-karhu

Salmonella cases linked to contaminated cucumber worsens as it had already caused the death of two people, according to health officials.

The outbreak was discovered earlier this week and it seems to be more prevalent than initially thought.

Health officials reported last Wednesday that a woman from Texas had died from salmonellosis linked to the recalled cucumbers from a company in California, according to CBS News.

According Carrier Williams, Texas Department of State Health Services spokeswoman, the woman was already suffering from other serious ailments prior to her death last month and on her medical records, it was stated that salmonella contributed to her death.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in its Wednesday report, there are already 341 cases of salmonella reported from 30 states since the July 3. Seventy people have been treated in the hospital.

California had the most patients with 72; Arizona and Utah follow, with 66 and 30 infected individuals, respectively.

Investigations have traced back cucumbers harvested in Mexico and distributed by San Diego's Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce to be the most possible culprit for the outbreak.

People who fell ill were interviewed and all consistently reported they had consumed the cucumbers the week before symptoms started to show, reports stated.

Meanwhile, the cucumber recall has extended all the way to Canada over fears of salmonellosis.

The recall involves fresh field cucumbers sold in several stores across Canadian provinces.

Canadian news outlets report that the cucumbers were sold in bulk and unwrapped on or before Sept. 4 this year.

Anyone who has bought the recalled cucumber is advised to throw them out or return them to where they were purchased from.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said that cucumber recalls in the country were triggered by the abovementioned recall in the U.S.

So far, there have been no reports of illnesses linked to the cucumber recall in Canada.