Wash Po-Recall of 380 Million Eggs Traced to Iowa; 1200 People Sick

photo credit: Washington Post

(Story reported by David Brown for the Washington Post)

Salmonella-infected eggs traceable to a large egg producer in Iowa may have caused as many as 1,200 cases of intestinal illness in at least 10 states in recent weeks, according to an investigation by state and federal epidemiologists.

Wright County Egg has voluntarily recalled 380 million eggs, some laid as long ago as May 17. The vast majority have already been consumed. The eggs went to distribution companies in 17 states, mostly west of the Mississippi River, but were then sold nationwide.

State and local health departments, assisted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are studying cases of salmonella illness in Arizona, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas, according to the FDA. Officials at the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, however, said they know of no cases appearing to be linked to the Iowa eggs.

(Click here to read the full story on the Washington Post website)