As of Saturday, the outbreak had led to 183 cases of salmonella, 57 were confirmed by laboratory testing and nine people were hospitalized. More people are expected to get sick because of salmonella's incubation period.
It was reported Friday that epidemiological analysis indicated that the municipal water system is the source of the rare outbreak.
Officials plan to put heavy concentrations of chlorine disinfectant into the water system to begin flushing it on Tuesday and it could be days after that before the water is safe.
Most persons infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most persons recover without treatment.
However, in some persons the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. In these patients, the Salmonella infection may spread from the intestines to the blood stream, and then to other body sites and can cause death unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics.
The elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to have a severe illness.
