SALT LAKE CITY — A salmonella outbreak related to eggs has sickened dozens of people across the country — including one person in Utah.
What makes the Utah case strange is that the eggs involved in a recall that went into effect on Friday were distributed only in the Midwest to Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan — but the person in Utah who became sick had not recently traveled to the Midwest, according to Utah Department of Health epidemiologist Delaney Moore.
“We’re still kind of wondering how, but we’re lucky," Moore said. "We’re really not seeing any other cases, and our one case has recovered and is doing fine.”
Moore added that it’s never easy to trace the root of a salmonella outbreak, and most people who contract the bacteria experience diarrhea, nausea and abdominal pain.
“If you’re feeling sick with those symptoms and you notice that you have blood in your diarrhea, if you’re vomiting so much can’t keep liquids down or if you have a high fever, then you should really consider heading over to your doctor to get checked out,” said Moore.
While salmonella can be deadly for populations at risk — like children, older adults and people with compromised immune systems — most people make a full recovery. And when it comes to eggs, outbreak or not, the salmonella bacteria is always lingering.
“No matter what, eggs always have a little bit of a risk of salmonella because they come from chickens, and chickens can naturally have salmonella in them,” said Moore.
In order to avoid salmonella, health experts recommend always having your eggs prepared well-done — whether you’re at home or out at a restaurant.
