WA Restaurant Salmonella Cases Reach 113

By James Andrews | October 19, 2012 The number of illnesses linked to a Salmonella outbreak at Mexican-style restaurant On the Border in Vancouver, Wash. grew to 113 by Friday. Seven of the eight patients hospitalized have been discharged. Officials have still not been able to determine the exact source of the outbreak, and may not ever. Identifying the last of the potential victims and ensuring they get proper care, however, takes a higher priority over finding the source of the outbreak, Clark County health officer Dr. Alan Melnick told The Columbian. "I wouldn't be surprised if we still had more cases call in," Melnick told Food Safety News. The restaurant has been completely cleaned and sanitized following a temporary closure after customers who ate there between September 20 and October 8 fell ill. It reopened on Monday, October 15. Melnick said he had no reason to believe the restaurant will pose any further health risk. The county health department is still awaiting test results from environmental sampling that should be available next week. The Salmonella strain at the center of the outbreak, Salmonella Virchow, is a relatively rare strain in the U.S. The Washington State Department of Health has posted these illnesses on PulseNet, a national epidemiology network, in an effort to track other potential Salmonella Virchow outbreaks around the country. Thus far, the only Virchow illnesses reported in the country connect back to On the Border, including patients from Oregon and California who were traveling to the area. © Food Safety News More Headlines from Foodborne Illness Outbreaks » Tags: On the Border, Salmonella, Salmonella Virchow