Since an initial recall of Salmonella poona tainted cucumbers distributed by San Diego-based Andrew and Williamson (A&W) was first announced in early September, the multistate outbreak has continued to spread.

To date, the voluntarily recalled Limited Edition brand cucumbers--imported from Mexico--have spawned a total of 732 cases in 35 states, according to numbers reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This includes 150 hospitalizations and 4 deaths. Sixty-one cases in 24 states have come about since September 29. The majority of reported illnesses have occurred in California (192) and Arizona (114) and overwhelmingly states in the midwest and western regions of the U.S. According to the CDC, approximately half of all ill persons are younger than age 18.

The CDC says that it’s not unusual for foodborne illness victims to surface long after a recall has been issued. In some Salmonella cases, the onset of sickness doesn’t occur until up to a week after consuming the contaminated food. Also, cucumbers have a shelf life of up to 14 days. It also possible that some consumers didn’t know about the recall and ate the contaminated cucumbers, completely unaware of the potential for harm.

In an effort to help victims, A&W issued a statement announcing they would donate funds--an undisclosed amount--to STOP Foodborne Illness, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping those impacted by foodborne illness. The money will be used to develop an educational packet that will be distributed to every pediatric emergency room and hospital in the U.S. It will contain information to help patients with their foodborne illness ordeal, and to assist doctors with proper diagnosis.