There is a possibility that raw tuna, mostly from Sushi, was at the heart of a recent salmonella outbreak. It stretched across nine states.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, starting in March, the outbreak has made more than 53 people sick. A bacterium known as the Salmonella paratyphi B variant was at the cause of the outbreak.

A number of patients have reported being sick in the nine states, and most of the cases have been concentrated in Southern California or in people who have travelled to the area.

As per CDC, most of the victims have reported that they ate sushi containing raw tuna in the week before they got ill.

A cluster of 31 cases have been received from California. Besides these the authorities have got 10 more cases in Arizona, six in New Mexico, and one each in Mississippi, Illinois, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

No case of death has been received so far due to this latest outbreak, but the illness was severe enough that more than 10 people were hospitalized, including a one-year-old.

In a California Department of Public Health news release, Dr. Karen Smith said, "There are sometimes risks when eating raw or undercooked meats, fish or poultry. This is particularly true for young children, the elderly, or people with compromised immune systems who may be at an increased risk of severe illness".

The CDC has suggested that people in such categories should always avoid raw fish or shellfish, whether there is an outbreak or not as these people are naturally more vulnerable to food-borne illnesses as compared to others.