Southfield (WWJ) -- The U.S. government has declared it's OK to eat tomatoes again, lifting its salmonella warning amid signs that the outbreak - while not over - may finally be slowing. 19 cases of salmonella were reported in Michigan.
Officials reiterated earlier warnings that the people most at risk of salmonella should avoid hot peppers - jalapenos and serranos.
The government still doesn't know just what caused the salmonella outbreak, and Thursday's move doesn't mean tomatoes are cleared. Early on, there was good evidence linking them to the sick, but it's unlikely that any field where tomatoes were harvested in April and May still is in production.
David Acheson of the FDA said it's "highly unlikely that fresh tomatoes on the market at the beginning of outbreak...are still on the market now."
But among later illnesses, there seems to be more evidence against peppers. The FDA is sending inspectors to Mexico to investigate a packing house that receives peppers from a number of farms.
Robert Tauxe of the CDC said there have been a total of 1,220 total victims in 42 states, reports CBS News.
In Michigan, the cases involved people two years old to 78 years old in nine counties. Five of the residents have been hospitalized including one from Berrien County, one from Eaton County, one from Ottawa County and two from Ingham County. The remaining residents are recovering.
Tauxe said the outbreak is "ongoing, but has decreased in intensity."
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