Salmonella Outbreak Over, U.S. Says

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The preliminary results of the investigation showed that jalapeno peppers were a major source of contamination and that serrano peppers were also a source, Tauxe said. "In addition, tomatoes were possibly a source, particularly early in the outbreak," he said.

Since the outbreak began, the FDA has increased its surveillance and sampling of produce from Mexico, Acheson said.

"As a result of that initiative, the FDA has identified shipments of produce from Mexico which tested positive for strains of salmonella, other than the salmonella saintpaul strain," Acheson said. "In cases where contamination was discovered on imported produce, the FDA has refused the entry and has imposed appropriate import controls on a shipper-specific basis to prevent the entry of contaminated product into the U.S. market."

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To help prevent and control future outbreaks, the FDA is asking Congress to give it the authority to require "industry-to-institute" mandatory preventative controls of high-risk foods, Acheson said. "These foods include certain types of fresh produce that have been repeatedly associated with adverse health events," he said.

The agency is also calling upon the food industry to develop better tracking systems to identify more efficiently the distribution of produce, Acheson said.

Salmonella is a bacteria that can cause bloody diarrhea in humans. Some 40,000 cases of salmonellosis are reported in the United States each year, although the CDC estimates that because milder cases aren't diagnosed or reported, the actual number of infections may be 30 or more times greater. Approximately 600 people die each year after being infected.

However, the strain of salmonella saintpaul involved in this summer's outbreak had been previously considered rare. In 2007, according to the CDC, there were only six people infected in the country during April through June.

More information

For more on the salmonella outbreak, visit the FDA.

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