Three people in Vermont and four people in New Hampshire have been sickened by Salmonella believed to be associated with bean sprouts.

According to the Vermont Department of Health, the Centers for Disease Control reported Friday (not yet on its website) that 68 people in 10 states have become ill as part of the outbreak. Eleven people were hospitalized and none have died. Health officials in Vermont said three of the cases were in Vermont, and New Hampshire said it has four associated cases.

The CDC said a review of records and invoices at restaurants in the northeast where people became ill shows they ate bean sprouts from Wonton Food, Inc. of Brooklyn, New York.

Earlier the Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced that it was investigating a possible Salmonella cluster in Massachusetts and across state lines.

Infection with Salmonella typically causes diarrhea, vomiting, fever and abdominal cramps. Illness can be severe and require hospitalization. Young children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems are more likely to develop severe illness. It can be fatal without prompt treatment.

Barf Blog documents at least 55 sprout-associated outbreaks occurring worldwide affecting a total of 15,233 people since 1988. A comprehensive table of sprout-related outbreaks can be found at http://barfblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Sprout-associated-outbreaks-8-1-14.xlsx.

Salmonella:  Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of Salmonella outbreaks. The Salmonella lawyers of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of Salmonella and other foodborne illness outbreaks and have recovered over $600 million for clients.  Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation.  Our Salmonella lawyers have litigated Salmonella cases stemming from outbreaks traced to a variety of foods, such as cantaloupe, tomatoes, ground turkey, salami, sprouts, cereal, peanut butter, and food served in restaurants.  The law firm has brought Salmonella lawsuits against such companies as Cargill, ConAgra, Peanut Corporation of America, Sheetz, Taco Bell, Subway and Wal-Mart.