On Wednesday, U.S. health officials cautioned people to remain on high alert against salmonella infection recommending infants, the elderly and people with weak immune system (who are at high risk of getting infected) not eat raw jalapeno peppers or raw serrano peppers.

The recommendation was also for “other people who want to reduce their risk of salmonella infection,” Robert  Tauxe, MD, PPH, deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Foodborne, Bacterial, and Mycotic Diseases, said during a news conference, WebMD reports.

The salmonella outbreak began in mid-April and continues with dozens of people getting infected each day. Salmonella Saintpaul has sickened so far at least 1,017 people, including a Texas man in his 80s who died, and at least 203 people who needed hospitalization.

Salmonella reports have come from people in 41 states and Washington D.C., as well as four Canadians. Apparently, three of them became infected while travelling in the U.S.

The CDC and the Food and Drug Administration have tried to find the source of the outbreak. They initially blamed red plum, red Roma or round red tomatoes for carrying Salmonella bacteria. However, after weeks of investigation in which more than 1,700 tomato samples tested negative for the bacteria, health officials began to focus their attention on other products such as those included in fresh-made salsas.

Now on the list of suspects are raw jalapeno peppers or raw serrano peppers but they were not recalled from grocery stores or banned in restaurants’ food.
 
 However, this does not mean tomatoes were excluded from the investigation.

“Raw tomatoes, fresh serrano peppers, and fresh cilandro also remain under investigation,” a statement issued by the CDC reads.

The ingredients were added to the list of suspects last week on a new round of interviews with people who got sick after June 7 warning to avoid certain tomatoes.

The tomato recommendation is still in effect for all consumers.