Alabama: Dozens sickened after eating funeral meal, Salmonella confirmed in five attendees
The investigation into the foodborne outbreak linked to a meal on July 6 after a funeral at Eastern Star Baptist Church in York continues as Alabama Department of Public Health officials say that 67 people have been affected.
Salmonella image/CDC
According to a ADPH news release Friday, five people are confirmed to have Salmonella (serotype Heidelberg) by the Alabama Bureau of Clinical Laboratories.
Additional environmental and clinical samples will be tested at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The preliminary investigative findings suggest the illness was caused by cross contamination during meal preparation.
The total cases are up from 36 reported by the health department on July 11.
The ongoing investigation has resulted in hospitalizations in at least 10 states, according to health officials. Several people continue to be hospitalized, some in serious condition.
“If you attended this event and are ill, please contact your physician,” advised Dr. Mary McIntyre, Assistant State Health Officer for Disease Control and Prevention.
Salmonella is an organism, which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.
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