Four people in Clark County sickened in salmonella outbreak

By Pashtana Usufzy

Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2015 | 9:12 p.m.

Seven people in Nevada, including four in Clark County, have been affected by a national salmonella outbreak possibly related to imported cucumbers, according to the Southern Nevada Health District.

The cucumbers, imported from Mexico and distributed by Andrews & Williamson Fresh Produce, are believed to be responsible for an outbreak of salmonella poona affecting 285 people in 27 states, the Health District said in a statement.

Andrews & Williamson has issued a voluntary recall of its Limited Edition cucumbers sold between Aug. 1 and Sept. 3, it said in a statement Friday.

Customers can return the cucumbers for a full refund at the place where they were purchased or should throw them away, the company said.

No other Andrews & Williamson produce is affected by the recall, the company said.

“Every effort has been taken to remove this product from the market and we have stopped all harvesting and packing operations at the grower’s facility,” the company said Monday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration are investigating the outbreak, according to the Health District.

Officials have identified 11 “illness clusters” in seven of the states impacted so far, according to the Health District.

In each cluster, people had consumed cucumbers, the district said.

Salmonella causes illness typically lasting four to seven days. Symptoms include fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal cramps, and infections can be severe and sometimes fatal, according to the Health District.