Clark County tied to salmonella outbreak

Local, federal and state health officials are investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Newport infections connected to onions sold by Thomson International Inc.

Clark County currently has two cases tied to the outbreak.

Across 43 different states, 640 people have been infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Newport. Washington is currently reporting 25 cases, including residents of King (10), Benton (1), Spokane (1), Asotin (1), Snohomish (2), Garfield (1), Kitsap (1), Lewis (1), Mason (1), San Juan (1), Thurston (1), Walla Walla (1) and Yakima (1) counties.

Thomson International has issued a voluntary recall of onions shipped from May 1 through the present.

Onions were sold under the following brand names: Thomson Premium, TLC Thomson International, Tender Loving Care, El Competitor, Hartley’s Best, Onions 52, Majestic, Imperial Fresh, Kroger, Utah Onions and Food Lion.

If you have the recalled onions from Thomson International, the state Department of Health recommends throwing them away, according to a news release. If you are not sure where your onions are sourced, you should throw away those as well. You should also wash and disinfect any surfaces that may have come in contact with the onions.

Salmonellosis, an illness caused by a salmonella infection, can cause diarrhea, fever, chills, abdominal discomfort and vomiting. Serious bloodstream infections may also occur.