Sick with Salmonella?
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Lawyer Elliot Olsen has regained millions of dollars for people harmed by Salmonella; he represents four people sickened in this year’s outbreak from contaminated eggs. If you or a family member became ill after eating Salmonella-contaminated Honey Smacks, you might have cause to file a lawsuit. Please call (612) 337-6126 for a free consultation, or complete the following:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has closed its investigation of the nationwide illness outbreak caused by Salmonella-contaminated Honey Smacks. The final statistics:
The CDC warns, however, that recalled boxes of the Kellogg’s cereal have a long shelf life and might still be in people’s homes. Consumers unaware of the recall could continue to eat the Salmonella-contaminated Honey Smacks and become ill.
Salmonella-contaminated Honey Smacks: June recall
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on June 14 that Kellogg’s had voluntarily recalled 15.3-ounce and 23-ounce boxes of Honey Smacks. The CDC recommended soon thereafter that consumers not purchase nor retailers sell any Honey Smacks – regardless of package size or best-by date.
The CDC announced that it has closed its investigation of the nationwide illness outbreak caused by Salmonella-contaminated Honey Smacks. The final numbers: 135 ill and 34 hospitalized in 36 states.
Salmonella-contaminated Honey Smacks: busy 2018
Salmonella outbreaks are not uncommon in the U.S., and that has been especially true this year. Such disparate foods as eggs, dried coconut, pre-cut melon, and raw chicken are just a few of the items causing outbreaks in 2018.
Salmonella bacteria are found naturally in mammals’ intestines – yes, humans too. The bacteria generally contaminates food that has been in contact with fecal matter.
That usually happens down on the farm: Salmonella in animal feces can contaminate water used to irrigate fields, contaminating the crops.
Contamination also can occur at the processing stage. If an ingredient is contaminated with Salmonella, it can get on equipment that spreads the bacteria to other food.
Additionally, employees who don’t wash their hands properly can be a source of contamination in production facilities.
Salmonella-contaminated Honey Smacks: cereal
A Salmonella outbreak from dry cereal? It has happened before.
This occurs because Salmonella bacteria can survive for a long time in dry environments such as cereal. “A dry heat actually makes [Salmonella bacteria] more persistent in a food or ingredient,” Benjamin Chapman, an associate professor and food safety specialist at North Carolina State University, told Live Science in a February 2018 interview.
In 1998, the CDC reported an outbreak of more than 200 cases of salmonellosis – the disease caused by a Salmonella infection – traced back to contaminated Millville Toasted Oats. Ten years after that outbreak, CDC officials reported another Salmonella outbreak from contaminated cereal, also traced back to Millville.
That outbreak “highlight[ed] the resilience of Salmonella, suggesting that this organism can persist in dry food production environments for years,” researchers wrote in a 2008 report.
Salmonella-contaminated Honey Smacks: disease info
About 1.2 million Americans are sickened yearly by Salmonella, according to statistics kept by the CDC. Approximately 23,000 of those victims will require hospitalization – and 450 of them will die.
Salmonellosis can develop anywhere from 12 hours to 72 hours after one eats food contaminated with Salmonella.
Salmonellosis symptoms
As with most types of food poisoning, symptoms can last up to a week and include:
- diarrhea, which can become bloody
- abdominal cramping
- nausea and vomiting
- fever and chills.
Most people recover without needing to see a doctor, but in some cases, diarrhea becomes so severe that dehydration occurs and hospitalization is required.
Complications
Salmonellosis complications can occur when Salmonella bacteria enter the bloodstream. Those complications include:
- meningitis: an inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
- endocarditis: an infection of the heart’s inner lining that usually involves the heart valves.
- osteomyelitis: a bone inflammation that targets the legs, arms, or spine.
- reactive arthritis (or Reiter’s syndrome): a form of inflammatory arthritis that develops in response to a Salmonella infection in another part of the body.
Pregnancies at risk
Pregnant women are at a higher risk for contracting salmonellosis because their immune systems are weakened by hormonal changes. They are also more likely to develop complications: A pregnant woman who contracts salmonellosis can suffer a miscarriage, experience stillbirth, or go into premature labor.
Other people most at risk for complications are young children, senior citizens, and anyone with a weakened immune system.
