Salmonella infections in 6 states linked to Papa Murphy's raw cookie dough

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Tuesday that a salmonella outbreak involving 18 people in six states has been linked to Papa Murphy's raw cookie dough

Two individuals were hospitalized in connection with the infections, the CDC said in its alert. No one has died.

Those sickened were in Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Utah and Missouri. Illnesses were reported between February and May, according to the CDC.

In interviews with some of the sick people, the agency learned that several reported having eaten the dough. Investigators are now working to determine which ingredient within the dough may be contaminated.

It's likely that more people are ill in the outbreak than investigators know about because some recover without medical care and aren't ever tested, the CDC noted.

In the meantime, the agency is advising people to throw out the cookie dough if they have any in their kitchen. Papa Murphy's is temporarily not selling its raw chocolate chip cookie dough and raw S'mores bars dough.

Salmonella can be severe in some people. For most, it causes diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps about six hours to six days after exposure, and then typically lasts for four to seven days.

But children younger than 5, adults 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to have severe illness, according to the CDC.

It's important to throw away any dough you may have at home, even if you ate some of it already and didn't get sick, the CDC said. Wash all surfaces that have touched the dough. Use hot, soapy water or a dishwasher.

Always follow cookie dough baking instructions in the recipe or on the package label. Papa Murphy's dough was not meant to be eaten raw.

While some other companies make cookie dough that's edible without baking, those products contain heat-treated flour and pasteurized eggs or no eggs.

2023 HealthDay. All rights reserved.