Ottawa, July 7, 2008 - Public Health officials in Canada have reported four cases of Salmonella Saintpaul infections that match those associated with the outbreak in the United States. Three of the cases became ill upon return from travel to the United States, suggesting they were infected during their trip. Cross border cases are expected given the size of the outbreak in the U.S., and travel by Canadians to the U.S. Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) officials will continue to work with their colleagues in Canada and the U.S. to monitor the situation and assess further cases.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is continuing to follow the outbreak investigation related to Salmonella Saintpaul by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The U.S. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the initial investigation suggested a link to raw tomatoes. However, recent information from investigation of restaurants has led them to broaden their investigation to include other food items commonly consumed with tomatoes.
Consumers should be aware that tomatoes grown in Canada have not been implicated in the U.S. investigation.
CFIA and PHAC want to inform Canadians that both the FDA and the CDC continue to update their respective websites to provide on-going information about their investigation. The FDA has updated their website to include a list of tomatoes that are not associated with the U.S. outbreak. The list is being updated as new information becomes available and can be viewed at: http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/tomatoes.html. More information on the CDC's investigation is available at http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/saintpaul/.
For more information, consumers and industry can call the CFIA at 1-800-442-2342 / TTY 1-800-465-7735 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday to Friday). People who believe they have experienced symptoms of illness are urged to contact their health care provider.
For information on Salmonella, visit the Food Facts webpage at http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/concen/causee.shtml
Media enquiries:
Public Health Agency of Canada
Media Relations: (613) 948-7970
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Media relations: (613) 228-6682
