West Virginia investigating Salmonella Typhimurium Outbreak – 41 sick, 5 hospitalized

The West Virginia Department of Health sent a health advisory to doctors, hospitals and labs today warning of an outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium, according to WDTV. Forty-one people have been sickened since early September, and five have been hospitalized.

Those sickened range in age from 3 to 54. Health officials say exposures are still under investigation and no common source has been identified. No cases outside of West Virginia have been tied to the outbreak, which officials view as a sign of a localized event.

The advisory asks providers to test, culture and report cases within 72 hours.

For a little perspective, West Virginia has reported 311 cases of salmonellosis so far in 2026, compared with 229 at the same point in 2025, according to CDC’s weekly notifiable disease data through the week ending October 10.

Salmonella Typhimurium is typically acquired from contaminated food or water, or from contact with infected animals and their environments. Most people recover without antibiotics, but the infection can turn serious in young children, older adults and the immunocompromised.

Forty-one cases in a single state, with no source named, is a significant cluster. A localized outbreak of this size points to something – a food, a restaurant, an event, a water source, or animal contact – that a lot of West Virginians had in common. The faster health officials find it and name it, the fewer people get sick. More information is available from the West Virginia Office of Epidemiology and Prevention Services.

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 $900 million for clients.

If you or a family member became ill with a Salmonella infection, including Reactive Arthritis or HUS, after consuming food and you’re interested in pursuing a legal claim, contact the Marler Clark Salmonella attorneys for a free case evaluation.