Salmonella reports associated with Holiday Inn hotel restaurants have risen to 88 cases.
Late last week, 51 cases were reported, which was up from 16 earlier in the week, said Cumberland County health officials, according to WRAL. Five people have required hospitalization, to date.
All of those who have been sickened reported that they ate at the Holiday Inn Bordeaux in Fayetteville, said WRAL. Health officials say that people who ate at the hotel since May 1 should be aware of the symptoms of Salmonella poisoning.
The hotel has two restaurants—All American Sports Bar and Grill and The Café Bordeaux—as well as a banquet kitchen, said WRAL. The health department may be reached at 1.910.433.3638; the so-called “Salmonella Hotline” may be reached at 1.910.433.3814.
By late last year, the United States had seen an array food borne illness outbreaks linked to a variety of pathogens, including Salmonella. Some 48 million people—or one in every six Americans—suffers from a food borne illness each year, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As we’ve long explained, however, many cases—the majority, it is believed—of food borne illnesses go unreported.
Every year, some 3,000 deaths are attributed to food borne illnesses; 400 of those are attributed to acute salmonellosis, the infection caused by the Salmonella pathogen. Both drug resistant and nonresistant Salmonella poisoning results in about one million illnesses annually, costing the U.S. $365 million, according to a prior CDC report.
It can take between six and 72 hours from consumption of a contaminated product for the symptoms of salmonellosis to appear. Symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever. Additional symptoms include chills, headache, nausea, and vomiting that can last up to seven days. The illness usually lasts four to seven days; however, in some, the organism can invade the bloodstream, becoming so severe that hospitalization is required.
Sometimes, infection with the Salmonella pathogen can result in, and produce more, severe or chronic illnesses and can leave sufferers with very serious life-long health issues. Salmonellosis can be especially life threatening to those with weakened immune systems, such as infants; the elderly; and persons with compromised immune systems, such as people with HIV infection or who are undergoing chemotherapy.
