Officials from the Michigan Department of Community Health are advising residents to take precautions against contracting a food born bacterial infection. Officials say since October it has tracked 20 confirmed cases of Salmonella Typhimurium infection. Of those cases, eight have required hospitalization. The ages of those effected have ranged from under one year to 74 years of age, with an average age of 9 years old.
 
Symptoms for Salmonella include diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts four to seven days.

The state is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to identify the source of the outbreak, which has been identified in numerous states across the country.

In Michigan, confirmed cases have been found in Arenac, Bay, Eaton, Kent, Lapeer, Macomb, Mecosta, Muskegon, Oakland, Ottawa, Tuscola, Washtenaw, and Wayne Counties, as well as in the city of Detroit.

Previous outbreaks associated with Salmonella Typhimurium include poultry, produce, raw milk and cheese, and contact with animals like small turtles.

The state encourages residents to use safe food handling procedures, MDCH spokesperson James McCurtis said in an email. Those include keeping raw meat away from other food sources, washing hands and surfaces that come in contact with raw uncooked meat and not eating uncooked or under cooked meats.

To find out more about preventing Salmonella infections visit the CDC.