Health Highlights: Feb. 24, 2016

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Alfalfa Sprouts Likely Cause of Salmonella Outbreak: CDC

A salmonella outbreak that has sickened 13 people in four states has been linked to alfalfa sprouts from Sweetwater Farms of Kansas, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

The number of people with the outbreak strain of salmonella include five in Kansas, three in Missouri, three in Oklahoma and two in Pennsylvania. Five patients were hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported.

The patients range in age from 18 to 73, and they became ill between Dec. 1, 2015 and Jan. 21, 2016. Illnesses that began after Jan. 31 might not yet be reported because it takes an average of two to four weeks between the time a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported, the CDC said.

An investigation by the CDC, Food and Drug Administration and state health officials traced the outbreak to alfalfa sprouts from Sweetwater Farms. These sprouts should not be eaten by consumers, sold by stores or served by restaurants, the CDC said.


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