LOGAN, Utah — At least 21 cases of Salmonella have been confirmed during an outbreak of the bacterial infection in Cache and Box Elder counties.
In an alert shared Tuesday, the Bear River Health Department said it is investigating the source of the illness and "taking steps to limit further spread."
Officials there tell Fox 13 News it’s unusual to see this many cases in such a small geographic area.
So the department says it's started investigating by interviewing those patients and getting a detailed history of their food sources, animal exposures and more in search of a common link.
Disease investigator Angie White says they haven’t yet found that link.
She adds that it’s hard to say when this all first started, as some patients have been experiencing symptoms (which can include diarrhea, fever, and nausea) since July.
White says the majority of the cases are in Box Elder County, but aren’t confined to any particular area of the county or age group.
She says they are also still trying to determine if the Cache Valley cases are linked - which they do through genome sequencing at the state health lab.
"One of the ways we really pin down who is involved in this is through that genome sequencing of the specific bacteria...and those can take a while to do," said White. "It may take a week, it may take two weeks, it may take longer...we may never come up with an exact source."
People can become infected with Salmonella through the consumption of contaminated food or water, or via contact with infected animals. The bacteria can cause gastrointestinal illness and spread from person to person if an infected individual does not wash their hands properly.
Symptoms of Salmonella can begin as quickly as 6 hours after infection and include the following:
- Diarrhea, which may sometimes be bloody
- Fever
- Stomach or abdominal cramps
- Nausea
- Vomiting
Although most recover from a Salmonella infection within days, it can cause more serious illness in young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems, according to the health department.
To avoid a Salmonella infection, people should wash their hands with soap and water after using the restroom, changing diapers, handling animals or their food, and before preparing or eating food.
