DuPage salmonella cases bring statewide total to 29

SPRINGFIELD -- Two new salmonella cases were confirmed Thursday in DuPage County, bringing the statewide total to 29 cases possibly linked to tainted tomatoes.

Of the 29, 16 have been confirmed in the suburbs: five in DuPage County; two in Will County; two in Lake County; and seven in suburban Cook County.

Thirteen cases have been confirmed in Chicago.

The latest cases emerge amid a national salmonella outbreak linked to tomatoes. However, Illinois public health officials caution that not all the cases here have been definitively tied to tomatoes.

Since mid-April, more than 145 reported cases of salmonella have been confirmed nationwide, including at least 23 hospitalizations. Federal officials have said a rare type of salmonella caused the national outbreak.

In Illinois, at least five people have been hospitalized.

A spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Public Health said it's difficult to track the source of the salmonella and that 10 to 100 people could be interviewed for each case.

"We're not ready to say these are definitely related to tomato consumption," said Melaney Arnold, a spokeswoman for the public health department. Previously, the agency announced that at least 12 cases did contain the same salmonella strain as that found elsewhere in the country.

Arnold urged the public to follow recent federal guidelines to not eat raw red plum, red Roma, red round tomatoes or dishes and products that contain them.