1Parker1
02-15-2007, 07:58 PM
I ate this shit!!!!!!!!
Salmonella in Cook County tied to peanut butter
By Jason Meisner
Tribune staff reporter
Published February 15, 2007, 4:57 PM CST
Cook County health officials have confirmed that one person sickened by salmonella this week in the suburbs was part of a nationwide outbreak of the illness traced to certain brands of peanut butter.
The salmonella outbreak, which federal health officials said has sickened 288 people in 39 states since August, was linked to tainted peanut butter produced by ConAgra at a plant in Sylvester, Ga. The most cases were reported in New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee and Missouri.
The food company has told consumers to discard certain jars of Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter with a product code beginning ``2111'' on the lid.
The Cook County Department of Public Health today confirmed in a news release that five cases have been confirmed in Illinois, including one this week in suburban Cook County. Further details of those cases were not released.
The CCDPH "has fielded a number of calls from concerned residents and will investigate any further illness that may be linked to consumption of these products," according to a statement in the release.
"Not all peanut butters are part of the FDA recall," said Dr. Stephen A. Martin Jr., chief operating officer of the county health department. "Look at the lid of the jar and check the coding. If the number 2111 appears and it is Peter Pan or Great Value, make sure that you discard the product immediately."
Most people infected with salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection, according to the release. The particular strain in the peanut butter outbreak may cause urinary tract infections without diarrhea.
The illness usually lasts four to seven days, and most people recover without treatment. In some persons the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized.
"The elderly, infants and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to have a severe illness," the health department said in the release.
"Residents who may have eaten the food in question, and are experiencing symptoms of illness, should see their physicians and then call the CCDPH Communicable Disease Control Unit at 708-492-2150," the release states.
About 20 percent of the ill nationwide were hospitalized, and there were no deaths, Lynch said. About 85 percent of the infected people said they ate peanut butter, CDC officials said.
How salmonella got into peanut butter is still under investigation, said Dr. Mike Lynch, an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC officials believe the salmonella outbreak to be the nation's first stemming from peanut butter.
ConAgra officials said it was unsure why the CDC identified peanut butter as the source of the problem. Its own tests of its peanut butter and the plant have been negative, but it shut down the plant so it can investigate, spokesman Chris Kircher said.
``We're trying to understand what else we need to do or should be doing,'' he said. ``We want to do what's right by the consumer.''
ConAgra officials haven't said how much peanut butter is covered in the recall. The Peter Pan brand is sold in 10 varieties, according to ConAgra's Web site. The Great Value brand, which is also made by other companies, is a Wal-Mart brand.
He said the CDC contacted the Food and Drug Administration, which sent investigators to the Georgia plant to review records, collect product samples and conduct tests for salmonella.
Kircher said ConAgra makes peanut butter only at the Sylvester plant, for distribution nationwide. ConAgra randomly tests 60 to 80 jars of peanut butter that come off the line each day for salmonella and other pathogens, he said.
``We've had no positive hits on that going back for years,'' Kircher said.
The plant itself is also regularly tested, he said, though he didn't know how often. He said none of those tests has detected salmonella either.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
I came home and checked the lid on mines, and it was a 2111...I've eaten almost half the jar too. My freakin stomach has been killing me for the past 2 weeks or so, but I assumed it was just PMS. Make sure you guys check out your PB jars! :pctoss
Salmonella in Cook County tied to peanut butter
By Jason Meisner
Tribune staff reporter
Published February 15, 2007, 4:57 PM CST
Cook County health officials have confirmed that one person sickened by salmonella this week in the suburbs was part of a nationwide outbreak of the illness traced to certain brands of peanut butter.
The salmonella outbreak, which federal health officials said has sickened 288 people in 39 states since August, was linked to tainted peanut butter produced by ConAgra at a plant in Sylvester, Ga. The most cases were reported in New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee and Missouri.
The food company has told consumers to discard certain jars of Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter with a product code beginning ``2111'' on the lid.
The Cook County Department of Public Health today confirmed in a news release that five cases have been confirmed in Illinois, including one this week in suburban Cook County. Further details of those cases were not released.
The CCDPH "has fielded a number of calls from concerned residents and will investigate any further illness that may be linked to consumption of these products," according to a statement in the release.
"Not all peanut butters are part of the FDA recall," said Dr. Stephen A. Martin Jr., chief operating officer of the county health department. "Look at the lid of the jar and check the coding. If the number 2111 appears and it is Peter Pan or Great Value, make sure that you discard the product immediately."
Most people infected with salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection, according to the release. The particular strain in the peanut butter outbreak may cause urinary tract infections without diarrhea.
The illness usually lasts four to seven days, and most people recover without treatment. In some persons the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized.
"The elderly, infants and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to have a severe illness," the health department said in the release.
"Residents who may have eaten the food in question, and are experiencing symptoms of illness, should see their physicians and then call the CCDPH Communicable Disease Control Unit at 708-492-2150," the release states.
About 20 percent of the ill nationwide were hospitalized, and there were no deaths, Lynch said. About 85 percent of the infected people said they ate peanut butter, CDC officials said.
How salmonella got into peanut butter is still under investigation, said Dr. Mike Lynch, an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC officials believe the salmonella outbreak to be the nation's first stemming from peanut butter.
ConAgra officials said it was unsure why the CDC identified peanut butter as the source of the problem. Its own tests of its peanut butter and the plant have been negative, but it shut down the plant so it can investigate, spokesman Chris Kircher said.
``We're trying to understand what else we need to do or should be doing,'' he said. ``We want to do what's right by the consumer.''
ConAgra officials haven't said how much peanut butter is covered in the recall. The Peter Pan brand is sold in 10 varieties, according to ConAgra's Web site. The Great Value brand, which is also made by other companies, is a Wal-Mart brand.
He said the CDC contacted the Food and Drug Administration, which sent investigators to the Georgia plant to review records, collect product samples and conduct tests for salmonella.
Kircher said ConAgra makes peanut butter only at the Sylvester plant, for distribution nationwide. ConAgra randomly tests 60 to 80 jars of peanut butter that come off the line each day for salmonella and other pathogens, he said.
``We've had no positive hits on that going back for years,'' Kircher said.
The plant itself is also regularly tested, he said, though he didn't know how often. He said none of those tests has detected salmonella either.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
I came home and checked the lid on mines, and it was a 2111...I've eaten almost half the jar too. My freakin stomach has been killing me for the past 2 weeks or so, but I assumed it was just PMS. Make sure you guys check out your PB jars! :pctoss