Dozens of people have been sickened and at least one person has died in a salmonella outbreak linked to a specific variety of papayas, the Centers for Disease Control said.
Twelve states including NY are suffering a salmonella outbreak linked to yellow Maradol papayas. According to the Maryland agency, its labs found salmonella on three of five papayas from a Baltimore retail store. Ages of the infected people range from less than a-year-old to 95 years old, 67 percent of whom are female.
Ten of those cases are NYC residents and one elderly NY resident has died. Also, as a result of the infection, 450 deaths per year have been reported. Symptoms usually occur between 12 and 36 hours after exposure, but they may begin as early as 6 hours or as late as 72 hours after exposure. In most cases, the disease only lasts 4 to 7 days, and most people recover without treatment. However, those who develop severe diarrhea may need to be hospitalized. The Salmonella Kiambu strain is linked to the cases in other states however, it is not yet clear whether Salmonella Thompson is part of this multistate outbreak.
They were able to identify the fruit as the source of the outbreak due to an illness cluster identified in Maryland.
Reports of Salmonella in the fruit started in May, with cases continuing into the summer, according to the CDC.
Health officials issue a nationwide Salmonella warning for papayas. As of now, authorities are investigating where exactly in the supply chain the papayas got contaminated. Papayas from a store in Maryland tested positive for two strains of Salmonella.
“Based on the available evidence, CDC recommends that consumers not eat, restaurants not serve, and retailers not sell yellow Maradol papayas until we learn more”, said the CDC on its website.