Ten people on Oahu recently became ill with a rare type of salmonella after eating imported raw ahi—often used for poke—that was previously frozen, state health officials reported.

The salmonella Paratyphi B cases occurred between Feb. 27 and April 6 in people ranging in age from 5 to 35, said Janice Okubo, Department of Health spokeswoman. Half were under age 18 and the rest were adults, she said.

Two people were hospitalized one or two days with the infection because of dehydration problems, she said, adding that none of the cases was serious. All fully recovered, she said.

  Officials find 10 salmonella cases linked to frozen ahi

 

The state health department has confirmed 10 cases, brought to Hawaii from another country.

 

[ Watch ]

 

 

 

 

Five other states—California, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New York—reported 13 cases of salmonella Paratyphi B infection as of April 12, the Health Department said.

The department said it is working with those states and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to determine whether raw ahi was involved in those cases. It also has asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to investigate international sources of frozen raw ahi.

Hawaii had 35 confirmed cases of salmonella Paratyphi B infection on Oahu between October 2007 and February 2008.

But the strain identified with the recent 10 cases is different from the one in 2007-08, Okubo said. They are related but not a molecular match, she said.

The 2007-08 cases were linked with raw imported frozen ahi used in poke. Similar cases in Colorado and California from eating raw fish spurred an FDA investigation, but the source could not be identified.

Hawaii has roughly 300 cases of salmonella food poisoning every year and about 10 cases of Paratyphi B, Okubo said.

The state had 341 salmonella cases last year, including six cases of the rare Paratyphi B. And so far this year, 84 cases of salmonella of all types have been confirmed, including the 10 Paratyphi B cases, Okubo said.

Anyone having diarrhea (which might be bloody), abdominal cramps and fever after eating raw fish, meat or poultry is urged to get medical attention.

Symptoms usually begin within one to four days after exposure to the bacteria but can be five to seven days after Paratyphi B, the department said.

Health care providers are asked to obtain stool cultures for any patient with consistent symptoms and report positive results for salmonella infection to the department.