Dayton & Montgomery County public health officials are investigating an “outbreak of illness associated with eating” at Lucky’s Taproom & Eatery, located at 520 East Fifth Street in Dayton, Ohio. At least 60 people have ben sickened as of 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 3, 2016. Of those sickened, four have been admitted to area hospitals.
The first complaint of illness was received on February 29, 2016. The restaurant was inspected that day, but results of the inspection have not yet been released. Symptoms of those sickened include stomach cramps, diarrhea, headache, nausea, and vomiting, which is typical for most foodborne illnesses caused by pathogenic bacteria.
Public Health officials obtained stool samples from ill persons and took food samples from the restaurant that have been submitted for testing to the Ohio Department of Health lab to discover what bacteria or virus may be causing the illness. We’ll let you know when results are posted.
Lucky’s owner decided to close the restaurant voluntarily on February 29 and clean the facility. Public Health is working with the owner to make sure that all necessary steps to clean and sanitize the space are taken before the restaurant reopens.
Jennifer Wentzel, Public Health’s Environmental Health Director said in a statement, “it’s early in the investigation and we are still waiting on test results. Since the people we have interviewed have all eaten at the same restaurant, it leads us to believe it’s a foodborne illness.”
Public Health would like anyone who became sick after eating at Lucky’s Taproom & Eatery from February 12 through February 29, 2016 to contact them. The phone number is 937-225-4460.
The symptoms people have been experiencing could be anything from norovirus to Salmonella or E. coli. The illnesses are probably not caused by Listeria monocytogenes, since that illness causes symptoms that are mostly muscle aches, fever, and stiff neck.
If you have eaten at that facility and have experienced the symptoms of foodborne illness, please see your doctor. If you are tested and you have been sickened with a pathogenic bacteria, your doctor will report it to officials. Your case may help solve the outbreak.
In the meantime, to prevent foodborne illness, never prepare food or serve food to anyone if you have been sick, especially with a diarrheal illness. Always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before preparing food, after using the bathroom, after caring for someone who is sick, and after changing diapers. Always cook foods to a safe internal temperature of 165°F as measured by a food thermometer. And avoid cross-contamination by keeping raw meats, poultry, seafood, and eggs away from foods that will be eaten uncooked.
