The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta earlier this week confirmed seven cases of typhoid fever – three in California and four in Nevada. Two additional cases, including the one in San Francisco, are under investigation but are considered “probable,” CDC officials said.
The outbreak is linked to the Goya Foods Inc. brand of mamey, a sweet, reddish tropical fruit grown mainly in Central and South America. The fruit, which is often mashed into a pulp, is also known as zapote or sapote.
At least four victims reportedly drank milkshakes or smoothies made with the Goya brand of mamey. None of the patients has died.
The San Francisco patient, whom public health officials would not identify, was hospitalized briefly, but has since fully recovered, said Dr. Susan Fernyak, director of communicable disease control and prevention at the San Francisco Department of Public Health. The woman has been linked to the product, but her case has not yet been confirmed as part of the outbreak.
Goya, which is based in Secaucus, N.J. and is the country’s largest Hispanic-owned food company, has issued a voluntary recall of 14-ounce packages of mamey pulp, which it distributed in 11 Western states including Hawaii.
A few cases of typhoid are reported in San Francisco each year, but virtually all victims contract the disease outside the United States.
“It’s not rare in the developing world but it’s unusual in the United States, outside of someone who has had some association with international travel,” Fernyak said.
Nationwide, only about 400 cases of typhoid fever are reported each year, according to the CDC. Typhoid fever is still common in the developing world, where it affects about 21.5 million people each year.
Symptoms include fever, headache and muscle aches, often requiring hospitalization, and occasionally resulting in death. The disease can be treated with antibiotics.
Typhoid fever, which is caused by a type of bacteria called Salmonella typhi, is contracted when food and water are contaminated by an infected individual and are then consumed by other people. The illness can develop up to five weeks after ingestion.
People who think they might have become ill from eating frozen mamey fruit pulp should consult their health care providers immediately.
San Francisco public officials said concern should not be limited to Goya products. Montolvan Sales, which is headquartered in Ontario (San Bernardino County) but has offices in Hayward, will be initiating a voluntary recall of their La Nuestra-brand mamey products, according to the health department.
Fernyak recommended that consumers throw out any mamey products to be safe. Retailers should not use these products in preparation of foods and beverages, health officials said.