A Salmonella outbreak at Morimoto Napa in Napa County, California has sickened at least six people, according to news reports. There is no information about this outbreak on the Napa County Health Department web page. The Napa County Health Department did not respond to Food Poisoning Bulletin’s inquiries by press time. So we are working off of press reports.
Dr. Karen Refucio, the county’s chief public health officer, told the Napa Valley Register that those sickened ate at the restaurant in October 2016. The restaurant is located on Main Street in Napa Valley. The customers ate there between October and October 12, 2016. There is no word on whether any of those sickened were hospitalized, what their ages are, or if any particular food is suspected or being tested at this time.
The restaurant is cooperating with the investigation, according to news reports. Refucio said that the restaurant was very clean and seemed to be well organized during the investigation. Public health officials are asking that if anyone ate at that restaurant and got sick that they call Public Health or Environmental Health.
Salmonella outbreaks are usually associated with chicken, beef, pork eggs, and contaminated produce. Cross-contamination between raw meats and raw foods can be another source of contamination with this pathogenic bacteria. The symptoms of a Salmonella infection include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and cramps, diarrhea that may be watery, fever, chills, headache, and muscle pains. Symptoms usually begin six to seventy-two hours after exposure to the pathogenic bacteria.
Most people recover on their own in about a week or less after a Salmonella illness, but some become so ill they must be hospitalized, especially the elderly, the very young, and those with chronic illnesses or suppressed immune systems. Dehydration is a common cause of hospitalization.
And long term complications of this illness can be serious. Some people develop Reiter’s Syndrome, which can cause reactive arthritis, or irritable bowel syndrome or high blood pressure after this type of infection.
