Tomato Recall Alert!

Current Status on Tomato Outbreak as of July 8, 2008.

On June 07, 2008: FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has issued a warning to consumers nationwide that an outbreak of Salmonella serotype Saintpaul, an uncommon type of Salmonella, has been linked to consumption of raw red plum, red Roma, round red tomatoes, and products containing these raw tomatoes. Clusters of illnesses have been identified in Texas and other states among persons who ate at restaurants. These clusters have led to the broadening of the investigation to be sure that it encompasses food items that are commonly consumed with tomatoes.

Since mid April, there have been 943 persons infected with Salmonella Saintpaul with the same genetic fingerprint have been identified in 40 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada. These were identified because clinical laboratories in all states send Salmonella strains from ill persons to their State public health laboratory for characterization. No new states report ill persons. The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: Alabama (2 persons), Arkansas (10), Arizona (45), California (8), Colorado (12), Connecticut (4), Florida (2), Georgia (24), Idaho (4), Illinois (93), Indiana (14), Iowa (2), Kansas (17), Kentucky (1), Louisiana (1), Maine (1), Maryland (29), Massachusetts (22), Michigan (7), Minnesota (8), Missouri (12), New Hampshire (4), Nevada (11), New Jersey (9), New Mexico (98), New York (28), North Carolina (10), Ohio (7), Oklahoma (23), Oregon (10), Pennsylvania (8), Rhode Island (3), South Carolina (1), Tennessee (8), Texas (356), Utah (2), Virginia (29), Vermont (2), Washington (4), Wisconsin (10), and the District of Columbia (1). One ill person is reported from Ontario, Canada. The ill person reported travel to the United States and became ill on the day of the return trip to Canada.

Types of tomatoes not linked to any illnesses are cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, and tomatoes with the vine still attached. Consumers who are unsure of where their tomatoes came from are encouraged to contact the place of purchase for that information. If consumers are unable to determine the source of the tomatoes, they should not be eaten.

Consumers should also be aware that raw tomatoes are often used in the preparation of fresh salsa, guacamole, pico de gallo, are part of fillings for tortillas, and are used in many other dishes.

Consumers everywhere are advised to:

• Thoroughly wash all tomatoes under running water.

• Refrigerate cut, peeled, or cooked tomatoes within 2 hours or discard.

• Discard tomatoes that are bruised, damaged or spoiled.

• Keep tomatoes that will be consumed raw separate from raw meats, raw seafood, and raw produce items.

• Wash cutting boards, dishware, utensils, and counter tops with hot water and soap when switching between types of food products.

At this time, FDA recommends consuming raw red plum, raw red Roma, or raw red round tomatoes ONLY if grown and harvested from the following areas that HAVE NOT BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE OUTBREAK:

• Alabama
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut New!
• Delaware
• District of Columbia New!
• Florida (counties of: Jackson, Gadsden, Leon, Jefferson, Madison, Suwannee, Hamilton, Hillsborough, Polk, Manatee, Hardee, DeSoto, Sarasota, Highlands, Pasco, Sumter, Citrus, Hernando, Charlotte)*
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Indiana New!
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• New Jersey
• New Mexico New!
• New York
• Nebraska North Carolina
• Ohio
• Pennsylvania
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Virginia
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Belgium
• Baja California (Norte) ** New!
• Canada
• Dominican Republic
• Guatemala
• Israel
• Netherlands
• Puerto Rico

* Shipments of tomatoes harvested in these counties are acceptable with a certificate issued by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

** Product lots of tomatoes harvested in this State (Baja California) in Mexico are allowed export into the U.S. with a certificate issued by the Secretaria de Fomento Agropecuario del Gobierno del Estado de Baja California (Agency).

Note: This list will be updated as more information becomes available.

Information on safe handling of produce can be found at:
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/'dms/prodsafe.html

Tomato consumer page can be found at:
www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/tomatoes.html

Updates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can be found at:
www.cdc.gov

Howard County Health Department Food Protection Program
7178 Columbia Gateway Drive
Columbia, MD 21046
Tel: 410-313-1772

Howard County Attacks Lyme Disease

Officials from Howard County Health Department and the Horizon Foundation met to attack the issue of Lyme Disease. Maryland is one of ten states in which Lyme Disease is endemic. Howard County is the second hardest hit county in the State amongst those with cases reported. (Studies in Connecticut and Maryland estimated seven to 12 unreported cases for each reported case. [CDC 1992-1998])

Lyme Disease is a bacterial disease usually transmitted by a deer tick. Within about a week of being infected, people may have a "bull's-eye" rash with fever, headache and muscle or joint pain. Further, the bacteria may spread throughout the body causing symptoms such as joint pain and inflammation of the heart or nerves. If the disease is not treated, additional symptoms as serious as mental change may occur.

The Health Department recommends the following:

Personal Protection:

• When participating in outdoor activities: use insecticide, wear light colored clothing and close-toed shoes, and tuck pants into socks.
• Check the body for ticks after returning from outside. Removal of a tick within 36 hours reduces the risk of Lyme disease infection.
• Remove a tick with tweezers, grasping the tick close to the skin and pulling gently. After removal, wash the affected area with soap and water, and mark the date on your calendar, which will be useful to your doctor in the event medical attention is needed.
• Be able to identify the primary symptom of Lyme disease, the “bulls-eye” rash (erythema migrans). Seek medical attention if the rash is found or suspected.

Property Protection:

Because ticks need moisture to survive, the following are steps to reduce tick habitat on your lawn:

• Keep grass short
• Remove leaf litter
• Create wood chip/rock wall barriers between lawn and forest edge
• Allow sunlight on lawn
• Apply pesticides to lawns once or twice per year in consultation with a certified pest control professional

Click here for an information sheet about how to protect yourself from tick-borne diseases.

For additional information visit: www.cdc.gov/lyme