Nearly a thousand people have been exposed to salmonella in the recall of nearly a billion eggs.
Investigators are using high-tech techniques to track the bad eggs to their source across the country in an effort to find out what caused the contamination.
Investigators have traced millions of the eggs back to two North Central Iowa farms. Of the recalled eggs, over 500 million eggs are suspected to be tainted. Dr. Jeff Farrar of the FDA, said investigators will be there for another week and will disclose findings next week.
The FDA said no further recalls would be made, suggesting investigators are confident they have zoomed in on the major sources of contamination.
FDA chief Margaret Hamburg said, “We need better abilities and authorities to put in place these preventive controls and hold companies accountable.”
The salmonella may affect younger children and elderly people. Eggs are still safe to eat. In preparation, refrigerate eggs at 40 degrees and eat them fully cooked. Tofu is an alternative to egg as it has all the vitamins and minerals that eggs have.
A low-cost salmonella vaccine may have helped prevent the salmonella outbreak. The vaccine has been available in the U.S. since 1992, but never used. It is not mandatory in the US. Darrell Trampel, a poultry veterinarian at Iowa State University, “I think (vaccination) will move from hit and miss to being a standard.”