According to the Ottawa Public Health department, 16 children are sick in an outbreak in Ottawa; three of them are hospitalized. A lunch catering service is suspected. The children are between the ages of 15 months and 14 years, at one day care and three schools. The cases are lab-confirmed and are Salmonellosis.
Ottawa Public Health is investigating a catering service, including catering kitchens, as a possible source of the outbreak. The schools in question include Turnbull School, École élémentaire catholique Jean-Paul-II, and Steve MacLean Public School. The daycare is Tiny Hoppers Daycare in Kanata.
Fourteen of the cases have been confirmed with lab reports. Ottawa Public Health is monitoring the outbreak.
The Lunch Lady, a caterer used by Tiny Hoppers Daycare, is one suspect in the outbreak. The caterer’s kitchen is closed for spring break.
That catering company was also identified in a letter sent home to parents of Tiny Hoppers’ children. Since Salmonella takes about three days to cause symptoms, the epi curve may still be on the upswing.
