Salmonella outbreak linked to raw cookie dough sickens 18 across six states

(ATLANTA) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is investigating reports of 18 salmonella infections across six states — California, Idaho, Missouri, Oregon, Utah and Washington. Two people have been hospitalized but no deaths have been reported in connection with the outbreak.

Multiple cases have been linked back to Papa Murphy’s raw chocolate chip cookie dough and s’mores bars dough that are sold at Papa Murphy’s Take ‘N’ Bake Pizza stores, according to the CDC.

Nine of the sickened people reported that they ate Papa Murphy’s raw cookie dough in the week before they got sick. Papa Murphy’s has temporarily stopped selling the two types of dough, according to the CDC.

At least two sick people said they did not eat at Papa Murphy’s. Investigators are working to identify the contaminated ingredient in the cookie dough, the CDC said.

The true number of sick people is likely higher than the number reported, and the outbreaks may not be limited to the states with known illnesses. Some people recover without medical care and are not tested for salmonella, according to the CDC.

Most people infected with salmonella experience symptoms including diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps, which usually start between six hours to six days after ingesting the bacteria, according to the CDC.

Anyone experiencing more severe symptoms — including diarrhea and a fever higher than 102 degrees; diarrhea for more than three days that is not improving; bloody diarrhea; so much vomiting that you cannot keep liquids down or signs of dehydration — should call their health care provider.

Most people recover without treatment after four to seven days, according to the CDC.

Some may experience more severe illness that requires medical treatment or hospitalization, including those with weakened immune systems, children under 5 and adults 65 years and older, the CDC said.

Anyone with Papa Murphy’s chocolate chip cookie dough or s’mores bars dough in their freezer or refrigerator should throw it out, even if they didn’t get sick after eating some of it, the CDC said.

Items and surfaces that may have touched the dough should be washed using hot, soapy water or a dishwasher. Papa Murphy’s chocolate chip cookie dough and s’mores bars dough are not meant to be eaten raw, according to the CDC.

Most raw cookie dough is made with unpasteurized eggs or raw flour and can have germs like salmonella and E. coli, according to the CDC.

There are some other cookie dough options that do not need to be baked because they are made with heat-treated flour and pasteurized eggs or no eggs, which is noted on the label, according to the CDC.

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