A possible food poisoning outbreak at the 18th Annual Chincoteague Chili Chowder Cook-off and Car Show is being investigated by the Virginia Department of Health. That event was held on September 30, 2017.
Officials have issued a press release that states, “we are expanding our investigation and are reaching out to the Hampton Roads area as well.” There is no information about the symptoms people are experiencing, foods they are concentrating on, or how many people may have been sickened or hospitalized.
Anyone who attended that event, whether sick or well, is asked to complete a survey to help officials investigate and solve the outbreak. The survey takes about 5 to 10 minute to complete. Participation is voluntary and responses and any personal information will remain confidential. Officials are asking that anyone experiencing gastrointestinal illness after attending that event seek medical care. If you have questions, contact the Eastern Shore Health District at 757-302-4268.
The survey asks if the person became ill, if they have seen a doctor, if they have submitted a stool specimen, and if they were hospitalized. There is also a detailed list of vendors who attended that event; participants are asked to choose the foods they ate while they were there. Surveys are a way to help public health officials determine which foods to focus on after an outbreak.
Officials have started locating local residents who attended the event, and have found attendees from other states who have reported illness. After the department receives test results from the Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services in Richmond, Virginia, they will be able to share more information.
Pritzker Hageman law firm represents and helps people who have been sickened by contaminated food. We get answers, compensation for those who have been injured, and justice through our work. Our lawyers represent clients sickened with bacterial infections in personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits against event handlers, retailers, grocery stores, food processors, restaurants, daycare centers, schools, and others. Attorney Fred Pritzker and his team recently won $7.5 million for young client whose kidneys failed because of hemolytic uremic syndrome after an E. coli O157:H7 infection. Please note that class action lawsuits are usually not appropriate for outbreak victims because these types of cases are unique.
