Statewide salmonella cases don't include Yuma

  While a new salmonella outbreak has sickened eight Arizonans since October, a Yuma County spokesman said there were no reported cases locally.

  As of Friday, no salmonella cases had been reported to the Yuma County Health Department, county spokesman Kevin Tunell said.

  Yuma Regional Medical Center referred Sun inquiries about salmonella cases to the health department.

  Nearly 400 people in 42 states have fallen ill from the same strain of bacteria, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention do not know what's causing it.

  The CDC has not yet released the list of states affected. But a spokeswoman with the Arizona Department of Health Services said there have been three reported cases in Maricopa County, two each in Pinal and Mojave counties, and one in Pima County. One of the people who took ill was hospitalized.

  Salmonellosis, the illness caused by infection from the salmonella bacterium, can cause diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps anywhere from 12 to 72 hours after infection. Symptoms usually last between four and seven days.

  Most people recover without treatment, but in some cases severe infections can occur, resulting in death. Infants, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems are most susceptible to severe infections.

  Health officials are asking residents to cook meats thoroughly, wash vegetables carefully and avoid cross-contamination of food sources.

  This is the third salmonella outbreak to hit Arizona in a year. The most recent occurred last summer, when 75 people fell ill. That outbreak, which sickened more than 1,400 people nationally, was linked to tainted jalapeño peppers.

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Sun staff writer Stephanie Wilken contributed to this report.