Salmonellosis is the illnesses caused by a type  of bacteria called Salmonella. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) believes that there are about 1.35 million cases of Salmonellosis each year. Many people confuse Salmonellosis with “the stomach flu,” “food poisoning,” or other foodborne illnesses because it spreads and presents itself very similarly making it difficult to identify cases. Salmonellosis will give symptoms such as diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps and sometimes more serious conditions sepsis. People can get Salmonellosis from Raw or undercooked meat (especially poultry, beef, and pork), eggs, unpasteurized milk, cheese, fruits, vegetables, and processed foods. People can also become infected through contaminated surfaces or contact with infected animals. The only way to know for certain if you have Salmonellosis is to get tested, which is important to ensure you receive the treatment you need (despite many clearing the infection with some rest and hydration) and prevent others from getting sick.

Cases of Salmonellosis in the state of Ohio are reported by providers and laboratories to local health departments using a system called Ohio Disease Report System (ODRS). This allows for local health departments (LHDs) to accurately monitor and investigate any case of disease requiring follow-up, isolation/exclusion, or guidance to prevent further transmission. This also allows LHDs to collect accurate data on how many cases of certain disease they have in their county to create graphs like the one you see! Using data from previous years, public health professionals can create threshold data to get a detailed prediction of what is “normal” for their county during a specific period.

Marion Public Health (MPH) monitors ODRS for any identification of a Salmonellosis case. Once a case is identified, MPH will work to collect necessary contact information for the case and give them a call. An interview is conducted asking questions about symptoms, illness duration, food exposure, and any other risk factors to ensure the transmission risk is low. This also allows the health department to track any patterns and catch an outbreak (if applicable) in the early stages to prevent others from getting sick. If you would like to report an illness from a food facility, you may follow this link: Food Illness Complaint

Anytime a food establishment was visited during a Salmonellosis case’s incubation period, Marion Public Health (MPH) works to report this to the Environmental Health (EH) team. If deemed necessary, the EH will then do an inspection on the food establishment to ensure all rules and regulations are being followed. This allows for the EH team to identify any patterns for potential issues to arise at that food establishment.