The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a food safety alert after people in 22 states including Illinois reported Salmonella infections after eating onions.
According to the alert, a multistate Salmonella outbreak has resulted in 73 illnesses in 22 states. 15 people have been hospitalized, the alert said, and no deaths have been reported.
The active investigation revealed that onions processed at "Gill Onions" may be the cause of the outbreak, the alert said. 14 of 19 people sickened reported eating onions or being served diced onions, the CDC said.
Six of those people resided in long-term care fractalities, the alert went on to say.
According to the CDC, affected products include some lots of diced yellow onions, 8 oz. cups of diced celery and onions, 10 oz. cups of diced mirepoix and 8 oz. cups of diced red onions, with use-by dates between Aug. 8 and Aug. 28.
The products were sold in select stores, restaurants and institutions across the U.S. and in Canada, the alert said.
Earlier this week, Gills Onions issued a voluntary recall notice for the impacted products, which the CDC said were sent to Arizona, California, Idaho, Oregon, Montana and Washington.
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According to the CDC, four people sickened in Illinois were believed to be part of the outbreak. Other states included in the Salmonella outbreak were California, Utah, Montana, Oregon, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Virginia, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, Texas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia.
According to the alert, California and Utah saw the most illnesses connected to the outbreak, with 17 people sickened in each state.
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Most people with Salmonella experience diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps, the CDC says, with symptoms typically starting six hours to six days after swallowing the bacteria.
"Some people—especially children younger than 5 years, adults 65 years and older, and people with weakened immune systems—may experience more severe illnesses that require medical treatment or hospitalization," the CDC said.
