The source of the salmonella outbreak is still unknown, even though the Food and Drug Administration announced that there is a strong possibility that the suppliers from Florida and Mexico might be responsible for the spread.

Apparently, the vast majority of tomatoes available in the areas where the disease appeared came either from Florida or from Mexico. According to Doctor David Acheson, the FDA’s food safety chief, the agency cannot focus only on the two areas, as for now, it would be premature to start taking other suspected locations off the list.

The northern part of Florida is one of the few areas excluded from the list of possible outbreak origins. Also, among the producers on the safe list are Georgia, New York, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala and California.

The number of people infected with the virus keeps rising and at this point there have been reported 228 cases of salmonella infections in 23 states, with at least 25 of the victims hospitalized. The government requested that all consumers should pay attention to their grocery shopping and avoid the three varieties suspected: the red plum, the red Roma and the red round tomatoe.

The mission’s results are being delayed by the difficult investigation progress. This is caused by the numerous locations where people have bought or ate the infected tomatoes. The searches must include supermarkets, grocery stores, markets and restaurants, in addition to the visits to distributors, suppliers and importers.

The salmonella issue reached such alarming highs because even though is a common bacterium, it can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail in elderly people and others with weakened immune systems. Salmonella’s symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and fever.

Most people recover from salmonella illness without the need of a special treatment. However,  some cases of severe diarrhea require medical assistance and there is also a risk of infection spreading from the intestines to the bloodstream, which is sometimes life-threatening.