The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ?CDC, for its acronym in English? reported an outbreak of Salmonella bacteria linked to flour, in 11 states of the country that to date has caused 12 sick people and 3 hospitalizations.
The agency detailed that investigators are already working to identify a specific brand of flour related to this outbreak. However, any raw ?unbaked? it may have germs, such as Salmonella.
In that sense, they called for not eating or playing with raw flour, dough or batter, including raw cookie dough, buns, bread or cake.
Notably, most people reported eating raw dough or batter made with flour before getting sick.
Thus, flour was the only common ingredient in raw or battered dough that people reported eating.
And it is that, although flour does not seem like a raw food, most of it is. This means that it has not been treated to kill the germs that cause food poisoning.
Any raw flour used to make dough or batter can be contaminated with germs like Salmonella, which are killed when the flour is cooked or baked.
What you should do
Do not eat raw dough or batter; even a small amount can make you or your children sick; bake or cook foods made with raw flour, such as cookie dough or cake batter, before eating them; follow recipe or package directions for cooking or baking; use the temperature and cooking time indicated in the recipe or instructions.
Also, buy heat-treated flour to use in homemade playdough recipes; wash bowls, utensils, and surfaces touched by raw flour with warm, soapy water; wash your hands with warm, soapy water before and after using raw flour; keep raw flour, dough, and batter separate from foods that will not be cooked.
Remember to seek immediate medical attention if you or your child have diarrhea and fever over 102°F, diarrhea for more than 3 days that does not improve, bloody diarrhea, vomiting so much that you cannot keep fluids down; Also, signs of dehydration such as not urinating much, dry mouth and throat, and feeling dizzy when standing up.
Salmonella symptoms
Most people infected with Salmonella experience diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps. Symptoms usually start 6 hours to 6 days after swallowing the bacteria.
Most people recover without treatment after 4 to 7 days. Some people, especially children under the age of 5, adults over the age of 65, and people with weakened immune systems, may experience more serious illnesses that require medical treatment or hospitalization.
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