San Diego County public health officials are warning anyone who ate food containing mayonnaise made at Ramona Family Naturals Market, including its deli, to be on the lookout for symptoms of possible salmonella infection after an outbreak infected 13 people and put four in hospital beds.
First detected on June 21, the cases are believed to have been caused by “mayonnaise made with raw, unpasteurized eggs,” which the market, according to a county notice, has stopped using.
Those younger than age 5 and older than age 65 are at the highest risk of severe health complications after salmonella infection. Symptoms, which typically begin 12 to 72 hours after infection, include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever.
Most infections resolve without the need for medical treatment. Anyone who has recently experienced these symptoms and who recently consumed food from the market or its deli is urged to report their experience to the county environmental health quality department at 858-505-6814 or fhdepi@sdcounty.ca.gov. An online form is also available to file the report.
A county spokesperson said Wednesday that all four of those who were hospitalized have since been discharged. The county declined to say more about why it was necessary to publish an outbreak notice more than one month after the first case was detected and did not specify when Ramona Family Naturals Market stopped using the suspect unpasteurized mayonnaise.