WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health officials have learned of 106 more cases of salmonella linked to tainted tomatoes, putting the outbreak's toll at 383 on Wednesday and counting.
"We do not think the outbreak is over," said Dr. Robert Tauxe of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Most of this newest influx of cases were people who got sick weeks ago but hadn't been counted yet. Some states began doing a better job of checking for salmonella as the outbreak has dragged on, while part of the surge comes from test results that had been backlogged in jammed laboratories.
What hasn't changed is that the earliest known victim got sick on April 10 and the latest on June 5.
New Hampshire and Pennsylvania reported their first cases, bringing to 30 the number of states — plus Washington, D.C. — that have reported sick residents, although some may have been infected while traveling. At least 48 people have been hospitalized.