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“Although there is not yet a definitive link between the CHC cheese and the illnesses, there is <br />enough evidence to implicate the cheese and we are asking customers to not consume these <br />cheeses or use them in food service,” said Portia McKnight, Creamery co-founder. <br />Chapel Hill Creamery has asked its wholesale customers to remove any CHC cheese from their <br />shelves and dispose of it. Consumers who have this product in their home should not consume it <br />and should throw it away. <br />Customers are also being reminded to thoroughly wash their hands and any utensils or equipment <br />that may have contacted the cheese in warm, soapy water. <br />Chapel Hill Creamery is working in cooperation with the North Carolina Department of <br />Agriculture, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, and the Orange County <br />Health Department to identify the source of the Salmonella and which of its cheeses are affected. <br />The Creamery plans to provide updated information on its website as it becomes available. <br />Bridger noted that some of the Creamery’s cheese products are <br />made with raw milk and some are not. She also said it was the <br />first such incident she knows of involving the local business. <br />The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is <br />aware of the outbreak and has been assisting the other states, <br />Bridger said, while North Carolina state and local health <br />officials are coordinating on their part of the investigation. <br />“We’re working with public health and with agriculture to try and figure out what the next step is <br />to make sure we’ve resolved the problem and that they can resume production and selling their <br />cheese again,” she said. <br />Orange County has provided a hotline at (919) 245-2378 for anyone in North Carolina who has <br />questions about the outbreak. <br />Most persons infected with Salmonella experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and <br />abdominal pain. People who are concerned they might have Salmonella infections should contact <br />their doctor to discuss testing and treatment. <br />The illness typically lasts four to seven days, and most people recover without treatment. <br />However, in some people, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. <br />More information on Salmonella is available here and here.