The health experts have warned that both the outbreaks might be linked to fresh cucumbers.

As of the June 5 announcement, 158 individuals have been confirmed to be afflicted with Salmonella Braenderup, as reported by the FDA. These cases span 23 states, as reported by Food Safety News.

Reportedly, in the case of the Salmonella Africana outbreak, 162 individuals have been affected across 25 states, with 54 requiring hospitalization. The inaugural case of this outbreak was reported on March 11, and the ages of those affected range from 1 to 92 years old.

Preliminary test outcomes suggest that the Salmonella Africana outbreak could be associated with fresh, whole cucumbers.

These two outbreaks share multiple similarities, including the temporal and geographical occurrence of illnesses and the demographics of those affected. FDA investigators are endeavoring to determine if both outbreaks might be traced back to the same food source.

The FDA has indicated that the Salmonella Africana outbreak might be linked to cucumbers recalled by Fresh Start Produce Sales Inc. These implicated cucumbers were distributed in bulk to retail distribution centers, wholesalers, and food service distributors in 14 states, although further distribution or re-packaging for stores in additional states is possible. The cucumbers might lack a brand name or grower identification on their labels, as reported by Food Safety News.

The specific retail locations selling these cucumbers have not been disclosed. Investigators are in the process of gathering more information to ascertain if other cucumbers are implicated.

Out of 65 individuals interviewed in the Salmonella Africana outbreak, 72 percent reported consuming cucumbers prior to falling ill. The outbreak was first announced by the FDA on May 22.

As part of the investigation, officials from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture procured cucumber samples from several retail locations. Testing revealed Salmonella in one of these samples. Further testing is underway to determine if the strain matches the one causing illnesses.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the actual number of individuals affected by both outbreaks is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases, estimating that for every confirmed Salmonella illness, there are 29 unreported cases.

About Salmonella Infections

Salmonella bacteria are usually not visible or distinguishable from the rest when ingested as the food they contaminate can remain apparently fresh. Everyone is at risk of getting a Salmonella infection, though it poses a greater danger to young infants, senior citizens, and other individuals with weak body immunity, as has been noted by the CDC.

Those who have ingested cucumbers and experienced signs and symptoms of Salmonella infection are advised to visit their doctor immediately. Patients suffering from its symptoms should report their case to their doctors so that the latter can run tests for detecting salmonellosis since it is not common for doctors to routinely test for it. Most of the symptoms of Salmonella infection are quite common with other diseases, and this can make its diagnosis a tricky affair as it often goes through misdiagnosis, Food Safety News reports.

The illness that is associated with Salmonella infection is characterized by diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within the first 12 to 72 hours of contracting the food-borne disease. In most cases, symptoms manifest in healthy adults, and the patient will only have to suffer for about 4-7 days. Sometimes, it is severe enough to warrant hospitalization. Some forms of diarrhea are very severe, causing hospitalization.

It disappears in other individuals with certain abnormalities, such as people of old age, children, pregnant women, and other people with compromised immune systems, for instance, people with cancer.

There will be times that an infected person does not develop signs of the infection but can pass on the infection to another person.

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The outbreak has been noted in Nigeria and the disease has been probed by the National Centre for Disease Control and Prevention after the local doctors fail to identify the same. 

Amidst the affliction gripping Zamfara state, nestled in the north-western expanse of the nation, afflicted individuals have endured symptoms such as bloating, fluid in the abdomen, an enlarged liver and spleen, and general flu-like symptoms, including fever and general body weakness, as reported by the Sun. 

A tally of no less than 177 individuals are presumed to have contracted the infection. The origin of this disease is believed to stem from the water reservoirs within Tsibiri village.

Subsequently, its spread has encompassed numerous other settlements, including Maradun, Shinkafi, and Gusau.

The intricacies of this enigmatic disease were explained within an official proclamation from the regional administration, as reported in the esteemed Nigerian daily Punch newspaper.

Dr Aisha Anka, the regional Health minister, articulated, “Predominantly, children bear the brunt of its impact, with the infections correlating with water ingestion.”

“To date, four fatalities have been documented, alongside the identification of 177 cases.

The Health Ministry presently embarks upon an urgent response phase to ascertain the nature of the illnesses and their causative agents.

“Diverse biological specimens from both human and animal sources, along with soil, water, agricultural, and comestible samples, have been dispatched to laboratories in Lagos and Abuja for meticulous analysis,” according to the Sun. 

“The ministry pledges to furnish continual updates to the populace and pertinent stakeholders concerning any developments regarding this epidemic,” she appended.

This development coincides with reports of 45 fatalities attributed to an obscure ailment in Gundutse village, situated slightly east of Zamfara, within the Kano state.

The conundrum persists as to whether this lethal affliction, claiming the lives of women, children, and the elderly, corresponds to the ongoing crisis in Zamfara.

At the zenith of this enigmatic infection, it is purported that the Gundutse community was interring up to five individuals on a daily basis.

Lassa fever

Presently, Nigeria grapples with an upsurge in Lassa fever cases, with the death toll exceeding 150 within the country this year following hundreds of fatalities in 2023.

Lassa fever, an ailment engendered by the Lassa virus, features prominently on the World Health Organization’s roster of pernicious pathogens harboring epidemic or pandemic propensities.

It is endemic to Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, Togo, and Nigeria, with potential existence in other West African territories as well, as per reports by the Sun.

In 2022, three instances were documented in Britain within a family returning from West Africa to Bedfordshire, tragically resulting in the demise of a newborn infant from a viral infection.

The affliction precipitates symptoms including cephalalgia, asthenia, expectoration, emesis, diarrhea, myalgia, and pharyngeal discomfort.

In severe cases, the infection can lead to bleeding from the nose, ears, eyes, and mouth, along with breathing problems, chest pain, facial swelling, and shock. 

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