The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating an outbreak of salmonella infections across six states that have been linked to Papa Murphy’s cookie dough.
The health agency said on May 23 that it is probing reports of 18 salmonella infections across the states of California, Idaho, Missouri, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.
Two people have been hospitalized, the CDC said. Six of the infections were reported in Washington, while four were reported in Oregon and another four were reported in Idaho. Two were reported in Utah and one case each was reported in California and Missouri.
No deaths have been reported so far, officials said.
Illnesses were reported from Feb. 27 to May 2, the health agency said, adding that the patients’ ages ranged from 14 to 68 years, with a median age of 47.
Approximately 83 percent of the individuals who reported being sick are female, according to the CDC.
“This outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses, and the true number of sick people is likely much higher than the number reported,” the CDC said. “This is because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for Salmonella.”
State and local public health officials are interviewing people about the foods they ate in the week before they got sick.
Of the 14 people interviewed so far, 12 reported eating food from Papa Murphy’s Take ‘N’ Bake Pizza, officials said. Nine people reported eating the pizza chain’s raw chocolate chip cookie dough or raw s’more bar dough in the week before they got sick.
One individual ate baked cookies made with Papa Murphy’s chocolate chip cookie dough, officials said.
Dangers of Consuming Raw Cookie Dough
Papa Murphy’s is a takeout pizza restaurant chain headquartered in Vancouver, Washington, with over 1,200 stores across the United States.Following reports of sickness, the company has temporarily stopped selling its raw chocolate chip cookie dough and raw s’more bar dough “out of an abundance of caution and concern.”
The company is also advising people who may have the raw doughs stored in their refrigerator or freezer to throw them out.
While some cookie doughs are safe to be consumed raw, the CDC advises people to always check the label before doing so as the raw dough can cause both salmonella and E. coli infections.
Papa Murphy’s chocolate chip cookie dough and s’more bar dough are not meant to be eaten raw and should be baked at home, according to the company.
Salmonella is a bacteria that lives in the intestines of people and animals. Individuals can contract salmonella in a number of ways, such as by consuming contaminated food, drinking contaminated water, or touching animals that are infected, although salmonella is killed when it is cooked.
Symptoms of salmonella infection typically begin within six hours to six days after infection and can last four to seven days, although some people do not display symptoms until several weeks after infection.
Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps, although in some cases it can cause severe disease, particularly in children under the age of 5, infants who are not breastfed, pregnant women, adults aged 65 and older, and those with a weakened immune system.
While most people recover without the need for any specific treatment, antibiotics are typically used in severe cases.
Health officials estimate salmonella causes about 1.35 million illnesses, 26,500 hospitalizations, and 420 deaths in the United States every year.
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