STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- One senior New Yorker died and at least 25 people in New Jersey and New York -- including 10 from the Big Apple -- have been infected from salmonella they contracted from eating papayas, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and city Health Department.
The city Health Department said 10 of the New York cases were reported in the Big Apple.
The CDC has declared a 12-state salmonella outbreak from yellow Maradol papayas, which are large, oval fruits that weigh three or more pounds. The fruit has green skin that turns yellow when the fruit is ripe.
"As of July 21, 2017, 47 people infected with the outbreak strain of salmonella Kiambu have been reported from 12 states," says the CDC on its website.
Thirteen people in New York and 12 people in New Jersey have been infected, said the CDC. With one fatality, 12 others from New York and New Jersey who have contracted salmonella have been hospitalized, according to the CDC.
The city Health Department issued the following statement on Saturday: "The Health Department, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Food and Drug Administration are working together on a multi-state salmonella outbreak associated with yellow Maradol papayas. New Yorkers should not eat yellow Maradol papayas until we learn more about where the contaminated papayas came from."
SALMONELLA SYMPTOMS
The symptoms of salmonella include: diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps. Symptoms can start as late as three days after ingesting the fruit, according to the CDC.
"Based on the available evidence, CDC recommends that consumers not eat, restaurants not serve, and retailers not sell yellow Maradol papayas until we learn more," said the CDC on its website.
"CDC and state and local public health partners are continuing laboratory surveillance through PulseNet to identify additional ill people and to interview them. Further investigation is under way to determine the point in the supply chain where the papayas were contaminated. Updates will be provided when more information is available."
The city Health Department recommends washing and sanitizing countertops as well as drawers or shelves in refrigerators where papayas were stored.
Reports of salmonella in the fruit started in May, with cases continuing into the summer, according to the CDC.
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