Three people have been hospitalized amid a multistate outbreak of salmonella infections tied to flour, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
A dozen people from 11 states have already been infected with the infantis outbreak strain of salmonella as of March 30, according to data from the CDC.
However, health officials cautioned that the true number of illnesses is "likely much higher" than what's been reported.
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The CDC said most people who fell ill reported eating raw dough or batter made with flour. The only common ingredient in the raw dough and batter was flour, according to the CDC.
The CDC in collaboration with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and public health and regulatory officials in several states are still working to determine the specific brand of flour linked to the illnesses.
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"Flour doesn’t look like a raw food, but most flour is raw. This means that it hasn’t been treated to kill germs that cause food poisoning," the CDC said.
Any raw flour used to make dough or batter can be contaminated with germs like salmonella. However, such germs are killed when flour is cooked or baked, health officials said.
Healthy individuals that become infected with salmonella can have symptoms including diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps, although these symptoms usually last from six hours to six days after consuming the bacteria.
Recovery usually takes between four and seven days, the CDC said,
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However, children under 5 years old, adults over 65 years old and people with weakened immune systems "may experience more severe illnesses that require medical treatment or hospitalization," the CDC said.
