Salmonellosis Outbreak

Although the recent outbreak of salmonellosis identified as the “Saint Paul” serotype is not being widely covered in the general media, both the FDA and the CDC are involved in tracking down the source and getting it off the market. I was able to find these agency pages on the subject:

• Salmonella Saintpaul Outbreak (FDA)
• Investigation of Outbreak of Infections caused by Salmonella Saintpaul (CDC)

The longer-term lesson here is that we should be consuming local produce instead of making ourselves dependent on single sources. Single sources mean single points of failure. As we’re seeing with this salmonella outbreak and with a recent, smaller, E. coli outbreak possibly from ground beef, “failure” doesn’t just refer to market-induced interruption of supply but to epidemiological taints as well.