The News Star - Louisianana
http://www.thenewsstar.com/story/news/local/2017/10/18/possible-mass-food-poisoning-outbreak-caldwell-probed/778040001/
BREAKING: Jambalaya likely source of mass salmonella outbreak
Ashley Mott, amott@thenewsstar.com
Published 5:33 p.m. CT Oct. 18, 2017 | Updated 12:47 p.m. CT Oct. 19, 2017
Louisiana's Department of Health officials believe a mass outbreak of salmonella poisoning in Caldwell Parish that has sickened perhaps hundreds and is suspected in one death can be traced to a local jambalaya fundraiser.
More than 100 have sought medical care since Monday, and local and state authorities are trying to determine if the death of Duane Reitzell, 56, was a related to the other cases.
Samantha Hartmann, press officer for the Louisiana Department of Health, said preliminary tests of samples have returned positive for salmonella. Additional information will be available from the department later today.
The possibility of a food poisoning outbreak was reported Wednesday afternoon by the Louisiana Department of Health.
Sheriff Clay Bennett said he and other workers in his office fell ill Tuesday afternoon. The sheriff and employees had eaten the jambalaya prepared for a Caldwell Parish High School softball team fundraiser.
Richard Meredith, mayor of Columbia, said the outbreak is unprecedented for the town.
"It's bizarre," Meredith said. "I've never seen anything like it. It's affected a lot of people, maybe a couple of hundred from my best estimation. I think they are trying to narrow it down — the when, what, where and why — I'm not sure to what conclusion."
He said local businesses are still open but many do have a couple of employees out.
For Friday, the mayor's court of Columbia has been closed due to the illness, per a post on the Caldwell Parish Sheriff's Office Facebook page.
The new court date will be Dec. 15 and does not impact Caldwell Parish District Court.
“Everybody is trying to figure out what’s going on," said Drew Keahey, a Caldwell Parish farmer and president of the Tensas Basin Levee District board. "No bigger than we are, when there are 200 people in the hospital, everybody knows somebody who is sick.
Keahey, a director of Homeland Bank, said more than 10 people left the bank Tuesday with sickness.
The Department of Health said in an initial statement Wednesday that it had been “notified of a possible food-related gastrointestinal disease outbreak.” A disease surveillance specialist is investigating the incident.
"At this time the LDH is investigating the cause of the illness and working to learn how many people have been impacted," the statement continued.
Dr. David Holcombe, public health medical director for the Alexandria area, said food-related incidents aren't uncommon.
"It's especially common in big social organizations where they prepare lots of food for lots of people," Holcombe said.
Holcolmbe said that with the holidays approaching, food-based illnesses can increase and it is important for people to remember not to cross-contaminate surfaces, including not switching from poultry to vegetables. He also advised refrigerating food properly and cooking it thoroughly.
During an investigation, stool samples would traditionally be used to isolate the organism responsible for a given illness.
The News-Star reached out to local hospitals, including Caldwell Memorial Hospital and the Citizens Medical Center, to determine exactly how many individuals were hospitalized in connection with the incident.
Louisiana's Department of Health officials believe a mass outbreak of salmonella poisoning in Caldwell Parish that has sickened perhaps hundreds and is suspected in one death can be traced to a local jambalaya fundraiser.
More than 100 have sought medical care since Monday, and local and state authorities are trying to determine if the death of Duane Reitzell, 56, was a related to the other cases.
Samantha Hartmann, press officer for the Louisiana Department of Health, said preliminary tests of samples have returned positive for salmonella. Additional information will be available from the department later today.
The possibility of a food poisoning outbreak was reported Wednesday afternoon by the Louisiana Department of Health.
Sheriff Clay Bennett said he and other workers in his office fell ill Tuesday afternoon. The sheriff and employees had eaten the jambalaya prepared for a Caldwell Parish High School softball team fundraiser.
Richard Meredith, mayor of Columbia, said the outbreak is unprecedented for the town.
"It's bizarre," Meredith said. "I've never seen anything like it. It's affected a lot of people, maybe a couple of hundred from my best estimation. I think they are trying to narrow it down — the when, what, where and why — I'm not sure to what conclusion."
He said local businesses are still open but many do have a couple of employees out.
For Friday, the mayor's court of Columbia has been closed due to the illness, per a post on the Caldwell Parish Sheriff's Office Facebook page.
The new court date will be Dec. 15 and does not impact Caldwell Parish District Court.
“Everybody is trying to figure out what’s going on," said Drew Keahey, a Caldwell Parish farmer and president of the Tensas Basin Levee District board. "No bigger than we are, when there are 200 people in the hospital, everybody knows somebody who is sick.
Keahey, a director of Homeland Bank, said more than 10 people left the bank Tuesday with sickness.
The Department of Health said in an initial statement Wednesday that it had been “notified of a possible food-related gastrointestinal disease outbreak.” A disease surveillance specialist is investigating the incident.
"At this time the LDH is investigating the cause of the illness and working to learn how many people have been impacted," the statement continued.
Dr. David Holcombe, public health medical director for the Alexandria area, said food-related incidents aren't uncommon.
"It's especially common in big social organizations where they prepare lots of food for lots of people," Holcombe said.
Holcolmbe said that with the holidays approaching, food-based illnesses can increase and it is important for people to remember not to cross-contaminate surfaces, including not switching from poultry to vegetables. He also advised refrigerating food properly and cooking it thoroughly.
During an investigation, stool samples would traditionally be used to isolate the organism responsible for a given illness.
The News-Star reached out to local hospitals, including Caldwell Memorial Hospital and the Citizens Medical Center, to determine exactly how many individuals were hospitalized in connection with the incident.
The administrator of Citizens Medical Center said the hospital would provide no comment at this time. A call to Caldwell Memorial Hospital had not yet been returned.
Contact Ashley Mott at amott@thenewsstar.com. You can also follow Ashley Mott Reporter on Facebook for the latest news.
Contact Ashley Mott at amott@thenewsstar.com. You can also follow Ashley Mott Reporter on Facebook for the latest news.
No comments:
Post a Comment