An egg recall linked to a salmonella outbreak was upgraded to the highest possible risk level by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday.
Nearly 1.6 million dozen eggs were labeled “Class I,” which the agency defines as “a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.”
Symptoms of salmonella infection include “fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain,” according to the FDA.
“Illness usually occurs within 12 to 72 hours after eating food that is contaminated with Salmonella, and the symptoms usually last four to seven days,” its website said, noting that children under 5, the elderly, and the immunocompromised were more likely to have severe reactions.