Chicago food festival crowned with salmonella desease
Pastor Dale Morgan
Chicago food festival crowned with salmonella disease*
07/13/2007 16:37 Source: AP ©
Eating is not only a pleasure… More than 120 people who ate from the
same booth at the Taste of Chicago food festival last week became ill,
at least nine of them with salmonella poisoning and 10 who were
hospitalized, the health department said.
The Chicago Department of Health was investigating the cases and
confirmed Thursday that nine were caused by salmonella bacteria. The
number could increase because lab results are pending in some of the cases.
The 126 people all ate at the Pars Cove Persian Cuisine booth, which
served cucumber salad over hummus, grilled lamb and beef, pomegranate
barbecued chicken and baklava.
It was the first confirmed outbreak of a food-borne illness associated
with the Taste of Chicago in at least 20 years, the health department
said in a release. The 10-day outdoor festival, which ended Sunday,
brings out food from more than 70 restaurants and concerts.
Mike Bambouyani, manager of Pars Cove, said the restaurant is
cooperating with health officials to determine the cause of the outbreak.
Officials inspected the restaurant and were interviewing and testing
restaurant workers who handle food. The bacteria could have been
transmitted by food handlers or could have come from a food ingredient,
officials said.
Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections, especially
in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened
immune systems. Symptoms include fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and
abdominal pain.