According to several news reports, a possible food poisoning outbreak is being investigated by the Wood County Health District in northwest Ohio. About twenty-four people have called the District since Tuesday, February 27, 2018, saying they are suffering from diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.
All of the patients attended an event on Saturday, February 24, 2018 for a group called We Are Outdoors at the Glass City Boardwalk in Moline. Epidemiologist Connor Rittwage told The Blade, “At this point in the investigation, it’s too early to know what may have caused this outbreak. We’re doing everything we can to identify the cause. Possibilities include a food or beverage item or an ill food handler, organizer or guest.”
If you attended the event, please complete an online survey to help officials investigate this outbreak. You can find the survey at Survey Monkey. Officials want people who have been sick and people who have not gotten sick to complete the survey to help narrow down possible culprits.
Government officials have inspected the facility and have interviewed some patients and some of the event’s organizers. Getting information from as many people as possible who attended the event is crucial to trying to solve the outbreak.
This outbreak could have been caused by norovirus, Clostridium perfringens, or a more serious pathogen such as Salmonella or E. coli. The news reports do not state the incubation period, or how long it took to get sick after a patient attended the banquet. Norovirus, Salmonella infections, and Clostridium perfringens infections tend to happen very quickly, while E. coli infections usually do not appear until a few days or a week after exposure to the pathogen.
If you attended that event and have been experiencing those symptoms, see your doctor. He or she will test your stool for pathogens, to see if you are part of this outbreak. And since many bacterial infections have long term health consequences, it’s a good idea that this illness is noted on your medical chart.
