At least 15 people have salmonella poisoning from eating at a local restaurant during Moms Weekend.
The Athens City-County Health Department has 18 other suspected cases for the weekend beginning April 30, but will not test all of the patients because many have already recovered, City-County Health Commissioner James Gaskell said.
All cases are from the same restaurant. The Health Department ran tests for salmonella on the food at the restaurant, but the results will not come back until Wednesday, Gaskell said, adding that he will not release the name of the restaurant until the test results are available.
We're trying to not reveal that until we have solid evidence
Gaskell said, adding that the department only has circumstantial evidence from the patients they have tested.
Salmonella bacteria are usually found on poultry, livestock and reptiles. If poultry and eggs are not cooked properly, the bacteria survive and can infect those who eat the food, he said.
Symptoms of salmonella poisoning commonly include abdominal cramps and diarrhea, but other, less common symptoms include a low fever and vomiting, Gaskell said. The length of time the symptoms last depends on how much salmonella the person ingested.
People usually feel symptoms within 12 to 36 hours, but some of the current patients began experiencing symptoms within four to five hours of consumption, he said.
Gaskell said the Health Department has ordered the restaurant to take corrective measures against salmonella. Normally, the Department has to ask restaurants to raise their cooking temperatures or lower their cooling times in order to avoid infected food, but Gaskell would not say what the Health Department asked the restaurant in the current case to do.
We are sure that the restaurant is safe he said, adding that the recent inspections probably make it safer than other local restaurants.
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Gail Burkhardt
