Allen County Public Health Department in Ohio is investigating a possible outbreak of infections from Salmonella bacteria in cookies that it reports are linked to the illnesses.

The health department referenced potential Salmonella contamination of pumpkin pie stuffed cheese cake cookies from Bluffton Baking Co. in a Facebook post. The post announced a recall of the cookies and states that some of the ingredients used to make the cookies were believe to have been contaminated with Salmonella.

The post warns consumers who bought cookies from Sept. 30 through Oct. 4 at Hancock or Putnam county markets to not eat them and throw them away. One case of Salmonella has been /confirm/ied. The number of possible patients has not been released.

Numerous media in the area have quoted Allen County officials as saying that the illness onset dates for the Salmonella infections range from Oct. 1 through Oct. 6.

about Salmonella infections
Food contaminated with Salmonella bacteria does not usually look, smell, or taste spoiled. Anyone can become sick with a Salmonella infection. Infants, children, seniors, and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of serious illness because their immune systems are fragile, according to the CDC.

Anyone who has eaten any recalled cookies and developed symptoms of Salmonella infection should seek medical attention. Sick people should tell their doctors about the possible exposure to Salmonella bacteria because special tests are necessary to diagnose salmonellosis. Salmonella infection symptoms can mimic other illnesses, frequently leading to misdiagnosis.

Symptoms of Salmonella infection can include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food. Otherwise, healthy adults are usually sick for four to seven days. In some cases, however, diarrhea may be so severe that patients require hospitalization.

Older adults, children, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems, such as cancer patients, are more likely to develop a severe illness and serious, sometimes life-threatening conditions.

Some people get infected without getting sick or showing any symptoms. However, they may still spread the infections to others.