Health Law

Two Clearview High School Students Confirmed with Salmonella

By David Babcock

As previously reported on this site, roughly 100 students from Clearview High School in Lorain, Ohio, were ill during the week of October 3.  There had also been reports that Lorain County was  tracking reports of ill persons testing positive for Salmonella.   Lorain County Health District Commissioner Ken Pearce has now confirmed that two of the three persons ill with confirmed Salmonella infections were among the 100 ill students:  'We have two people for which lab tests have confirmed salmonella.'

Apparently, the Ohio Department of Health analyzed between six and eight stool samples sent to its lab for testing.  Thankfully, it is reported that all of the ill students have recovered.

In the meantime, health officials continue to wade through different theories as to what made so many people ill:

Initially, it was thought that the students may have been sickened from improperly prepared food served during the weekly football team dinner, which is held at the high school and prepared by parents and families. That theory was abandoned, however, because some 80 students who were ill were not members of the team and didn't eat the meal.

It remains possible that there is not a direct relationship between the confirmed Salmonella illnesses and the additional 95 or so illnesses in the students.

'This could just be a coincidence of two separate incidents that happened at the same time,' Pearce said.

Full post as published by Food Poison Blog on October 13, 2010 (boomark / email).