The Cleveland County Health Department has reported that at least nine people have been sickened with Salmonella after attending a barbecue fund raiser at the Sandy Plains Baptist Church in Shelby, North Carolina. The barbecue took place on September 7, 2013. People started reporting illnesses ten days later.
Six people in Cleveland County and three people in Rutherford County are ill with laboratory-confirmed cases of Salmonella. Five people have been hospitalized in this outbreak. Public health officials are asking anyone who attended that event and became ill with intestinal symptoms such as diarrhea or vomiting contact their healthcare provider. Tell your doctor that you attended this event. If you or anyone you know purchased food at the fund raiser, discard it. Healthcare providers are alerted to report any associated case, whether confirmed or suspected, to public health officials.
The symptoms of a Salmonella infection include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, fever, chills, diarrhea that may be bloody, headache, and muscle pains. Symptoms usually appear six to seventy-two hours after exposure to the bacteria. The illness usually lasts two to seven days. Some people become ill enough that they need to be hospitalized. Long-term consequences of a Salmonella infection can include reactive arthritis, myocarditis, colitis, and infection of the bone marrow.
