It seems that every year there are a couple of outbreaks associated with events held by churches. Those events are unregulated and usually exempt from public health inspection and licensure. The CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report is focusing on one such outbreak that occurred in 2010 in Hamilton County, Ohio.
Reports of illness started coming in to Hamilton County Public Health in June 2010. Sixty-four people were sickened in this outbreak that was associated with pulled pork prepared in a private home and sold at a church festival. This investigation was difficult because the outbreak was identified after the festival was over, so the environmental aspect was limited to interviews of food handlers.
Every one of the patients interviewed reported eating the pulled pork. No ill persons did not eat the pulled pork. Two people in the household where the pulled pork was prepared will sickened as well. Of the 64 ill persons, 37 were identified as case-patients.
Salmonella was confirmed as the pathogen in this outbreak. The median age of the case-patients was 44 years. Half were males. About 89% of the case-patients reported illness within three days of exposure. The median duration of illness was about five days. No hospitalizations or deaths were reported.
The pulled pork was apparently cooked to an internal temperature of about 180°F, cooled in pans in a noncommercial refrigerator, and then reheated at the festival. During the reheating time, vendors were unable to report the time it cook for the cooked product to reach a uniform temperature above 40°F. Public health officials determined that this vendor’s operation would have been subject to food service licensing requirements. This outbreak was used to initiate the development of new outreach and education materials designed to address food safety regulations related to events that are exempt from inspection.
