CDC: Cucumber Salmonella Outbreak Hits Maryland

BALTIMORE (WJZ)--Hospitals around the country and here in Maryland are on the lookout for cases of salmonella poisoning after federal health workers report an outbreak of the disease linked to cucumbers.

WJZ's Gigi Barnett has more.

Tainted cucumbers. Doctors say they're the culprit in a nationwide outbreak of Salmonella Poona, a dangerous strain of the bacteria that's killed at least four people and sickened hundreds.

Salmonella can take over fast.

Officials say a person infected with salmonella usually has fever, abdominal craps and diarrhea for about four to seven days.

Now the Centers for Disease Control reports the affected cucumbers have reached Maryland and health workers are treating at least one case.

Dr. Lisa Kirkland at Sinai Hospital says her E.R. hasn't seen any cases yet. She says there's one simple way to keep the bacterial at bay.

"The best thing is to just wash your fruits and vegetable," Kirkland said.

The recalled cucumbers were grown in Mexico and shipped to the U.S. through a San Diego-based company.

The very young and very old are most susceptible to the disease. Health departments across the country are calling nursing homes and school districts.

"If you have a baby, like a young infant who seems to be having these symptoms, that's the type of person we would be very concerned about, as well as somebody who's on Chemotherapy," said Kirkland. "This will most likely be something that the triage nurses will start asking at Triage. Have you eaten certain types of vegetables?"

Maryland is now on a list of state's hit with salmonella poisoning the vegetables doctors are recalling.

With this latest case here in Maryland, at least 35 states have seen the infections.