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Most people take precautions to avoid getting salmonella poisoning from raw chicken, but there are other foods that are surprisingly more likely to harbor harmful bacteria. Leafy green vegetables such as lettuce, kale and spinach are actually the largest salmonella vectors. According to the FDA, eggs, even the cleanest and uncracked eggs, may contain salmonella with "79,000 cases of foodborne illness and 30 deaths per year due to consumption of eggs contaminated with Salmonella" . Sprouts, melons and raw milk are other foods that also carry the bacteria.
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INDIANAPOLIS – Two weeks before Thanksgiving, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asks people to be extra careful when handling raw turkey following an outbreak of salmonella that has left more than 164 people sick in 35 states in recent months.

Since the last update in mid-July, an additional 74 people in 26 states have fallen ill after contacting raw turkey products purchased from a variety of sources.

One person in California died and 63 people were hospitalized in the outbreak.

Minnesota and Illinois saw the highest number of cases, with 17 and 16 respectively. The diseases date back to last November.

Health officials do not advise people to spend the Thanksgiving turkey, but be careful when preparing raw meat.

Salmonella usually causes diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps, within 12 to 72 hours of consuming the infected item. Usually, people recover without intervention after four to seven days. Some people, however, suffer enough diarrhea to be sent to the hospital.

More: Duncan Hines recalls 2.4 million cans of cakes with potential salmonella risk

No single supplier of raw turkey products or live turkeys has been identified as being at the root of the outbreak. Health officials say the strain involved could be spread throughout the turkey industry.

Three of the people got sick after feeding their raw turkey with their pet. Another trio of people who developed Salmonella worked at a turkey processing facility or lived with another person.

Federal health officials recommend that people preparing raw turkeys take precautions to avoid food poisoning. They advise people preparing turkeys to wash their hands before and after and use warm, soapy water to thoroughly clean all surfaces that may have come into contact with raw meat or poultry juice.

People are advised to thaw the turkey in the microwave or refrigerator in cold water, which is changed every 30 minutes. Turkey should not be thawed by leaving it on the counter.

When cooking turkey or leftovers containing turkey, make sure that it reaches an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Health officials also warned against giving pets raw turkey. But they do not say anything about dropping a cooked piece off the Thanksgiving table.

Follow Shari Rudavsky on Twitter: @srudavsky

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