COLUMBUS, Ohio – The number of deaths linked to the nationwide salmonella outbreak rose to nine Wednesday when Ohio health officials announced that an elderly woman who died earlier this year had been infected with the strain involved.
The woman was from Medina County, south of Cleveland. Kristopher Weiss, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Health, said he could not release any other details on her death, citing federal reporting rules.
Though the woman had the same strain of salmonella associated with the national outbreak, it was unclear if the contamination was directly linked to peanut butter.
A peanut plant in Georgia is accused of shipping salmonella-tainted goods.
The salmonella outbreak has sickened 600 people and has led to one of the largest recalls in history, with more than 1,800 products pulled.
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