https://www.mysanantonio.com/food/article/Pasha-Mediterranean-Grill-source-outbreak-13213466.php
Pasha Mediterranean Grill owner says he was told suspected source of outbreak
By S. M. Chavey, mySA.com / San Antonio Express-News and Peggy O'Hare
Updated 5:50 pm CDT, Friday, September 7, 2018
Pasha co-owner Kamran Vandi said Metro Health officials told him they suspect hummus is the source of the outbreak, but said he doesn't know how chickpeas could be contaminated.
Metro Health officials told the San Antonio Express-News late Friday afternoon that the source of the illness has not yet been identified since they are still in the early phases of the investigation.
"We always take every precaution to ensure our food is prepped, stored and contained properly," Pasha Director of Operations Bill Deiri said in an email. "In the 10 years we have been in business, we have never had anything like this happen and are incredibly committed to making sure it never does again. The reported illnesses were all isolated to the location at 9339 Wurzbach (Road) and we have proactively been in touch with the health department and are continuing to work with them to identify what happened and how to do better on these situations."
Metro Health reported that they have received 301 phone calls about the Pasha investigation as of 4 p.m. Friday. Most of those calls — 255 — were linked to the outbreak and came from people who said they became sick after dining at the Pasha location on Wurzbach.
Fourteen of those showed laboratory evidence of salmonella and 12 had been hospitalized as of Sept. 7 at 4 p.m., officials said.
The reports first began surfacing shortly after the holiday weekend and have continued to grow in the days since. Early Thursday morning, Pasha reported more than 60 sickened, and they reported nearly 200 calls Thursday evening.
Common symptoms of foodborne diseases include diarrhea, nausea, stomach cramps and vomiting, but symptoms may vary by person. They may take one to two days to appear, following a contaminated meal. Metro Health encouraged recent Pasha customers with any symptoms to speak with health officials.
In order to prevent gastrointestinal illness, Metro Health recommended following proper hand-washing techniques, including washing hands before eating or preparing food, while caring for sick people, and after using the restroom or changing diapers.
S. M. Chavey is a staff writer for mySA.com. Read more of her stories here. | sarah.chavey@express-news.net | 210-250-3122 | Twitter: @smchavey
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