Health Law

Bad Ham, Staph Infections, Toxins Add Up To Lot's of Sick People

By Marler Clark

Claudia Sanders Dinner House in Shelbyville, KY proves again that sometimes its the really popular places that can be the most dangerous for eating and drinking.

After making more than 100 people god-awfully sick with Staphylococcus bacteria on Easter Sunday, the southern landmark is going to re-open for weekend business, beginning tonight with the lounge.

Scott Harvey at WAVE 3, the NBC affiliate in Louisville, spent today (3/28/08) with Health Department officials finding out more than most people probably want to know about staph infection.  In the WAVE 3 report, he says:

Preliminary tests released by state health officials show the Staphylococcus bacteria or Staph Infection caused the problems. But they still don't know what the source was.

"The Health Department felt that we got some bad ham," said (Dinner House Manager) Riley. "But again, we are still waiting on the report so I will be glad to get it in black and white."

Dr. Matt Zahn, Medical Director for the Metro Public Health Departments, says the bacteria is common. "If you look at every person in Louisville, or around the country, about one in three of us at any one period of time will have this staph bacteria on our system."

Harvey also learns its not the bacteria, but the toxin it produces, that makes people so sick.  Check out the whole story here.

Full post as published by Food Poison Blog on March 28, 2008 (boomark / email).