According to CBS7.com, a Salmonella outbreak in Odessa, Texas associated with Ajuua’s Mexican Restaurant may have sickened at least 20 people. There is no information on the Ector County Health Department website, but we have reached out for comment. Two cases have been confirmed, and 18 other patients are considered probable cases and are being tested.
Calls began coming into the Ector County Health Department on Friday, June 3, 2016, from people saying that they became ill after eating at Ajuua’s Mexican Restaurant in Odessa on June 1, 2016. Confirmation of the two illnesses came in on Monday, June 6. The restaurant voluntarily closed on June 7, 2016 to investigate the issue. The restaurant was inspected by public health officials on Tuesday afternoon and passed.
Officials do not know if the illness is spread by employees or through contaminated food. Restaurant management is going to sanitize the building and a food safety course will be taught to all restaurant staff on Wednesday, June 8, 2016.
The symptoms of a Salmonella infection include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, chills, headache, muscle pains, and blood in the stool. These symptoms usually appear within 12 to 72 hours after exposure to the pathogenic bacteria.While most people recover within two to seven days, some become so ill they must be hospitalized.
Long term complications of a Salmonella infection can be serious, including Reiter’s syndrome, which can cause reactive arthritis, along with high blood pressure and irritable bowel syndrome.
If you ate at that restaurant in early June and have been ill, please see your doctor. It’s important that if you have a Salmonella infection, it is noted on your chart. Your doctor may also give you antibiotics so you get better faster.
