A Hope International Church Salmonella outbreak in Seattle has sickened at least seven people, according to the King County Health Department. Those sickened allegedly ate homemade dishes served at a church potluck. The church is located at 355 North 104th Street in Seattle, Washington.
Seven people from five different households reported getting sick after eating at a potluck at the Hope Church International venue on November 12, 2023. The patient age range is from four to 63. Illness onset dates range from November 12, 2023 to November 13, 2023. One person has been hospitalized.
All seven people have experienced symptoms that are consistent with salmonellosis, including fever, nausea, vomiting, cramps, diarrhea, and bloody stools. The strain of Salmonella was not identified in the recall notice.
Public health officials interviewed patients to try to identify common exposures. They verified that all of them got sick after eating homemade dishes at the potluck. No specific source has been identified. Two of those patients have tested positive for Salmonella infections. The people who weren’t tested have symptoms that suggest a Salmonella infection.
Environmental Health investigators from the Donated Food Distributing Organizations (DFDO) program visited the church on November 21, 2023. The investigation reviewed the processes for storing, reheating, and serving the food. The investigators discovered factors that may have contributed to this outbreak, including improper temperature control. Foods that are held at temperatures between 40°F and 140°F can have bacterial counts that double every 20 minutes.
Symptoms of a Salmonella infection typically occur within 12 to 72 hours of eating food contaminated with this pathogen. Patients experience fever, chills, headache, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea that may be bloody. Most people recover without medical care, but some, especially those in high risk groups, may become sick enough to require hospitalization.
If you ate at the Hope Church International potluck in Seattle and have been ill with these symptoms, see your doctor. You may be part of this outbreak.
If you have been sickened with a Salmonella food poisoning infection, please contact our experienced attorneys for help with a possible lawsuit at 1-888-377-8900 or text us at 612-261-0856. Our firm represents clients in lawsuits against grocery stores, restaurants, and food processors. There is a national deadly Salmonella Sundsvall and Oranienberg outbreak that is ongoing that linked to recalled cantaloupes.
