Box Lunches Prepared by Volunteers Responsible for Salmonella Outbreak, Nearly 50 Affected

A group of volunteers associated with a Buddhist Temple in Gainesville, FL prepared box lunches that were responsible for making nearly 50 people ill with Salmonella.

https://www.gainesville.com/news/20191111/health-inspectors-investigating-salmonella-nearly-50-felled-by-illness
Health inspectors investigating salmonella, nearly 50 felled by illness
By Emily Mavrakis
Posted Nov 11, 2019 at 2:50 PMThe Florida Department of Health Alachua County says the source of a foodborne illness outbreak is boxed lunches prepared by a local community group, but they haven’t linked the illness to a specific food item.

Health inspectors are investigating a salmonella outbreak that has sickened at least 47 people in Gainesville.

The Department of Health in Alachua County became aware of the problem on Nov. 4, officials wrote in a prepared statement.

The source of the outbreak, the statement said, appears to be box lunches prepared by a local religious/cultural community. The department has not yet identified a specific food linked to the illness.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists frequent hand washing, properly cooking meat and refrigerating food properly as ways to prevent salmonella.

Trang Le, a volunteer and member at the Tu Vien A Nan Buddhist Temple, 2120 SE 15th St. in Gainesville, said the food was prepared at a woman’s house to be delivered to other members of the Vietnamese community before she and others left town for the weekend.

When Le returned, she said, several people she knew had experienced sharp stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea and fever. Many people required hospitalization.

“For those who became sick, we wish them well and to get well soon,” Le said.