In a deeply worrying issue, a new North Carolina salmonella outbreak sees almost 100 people in the area suffering from a stomach condition that has been diagnosed as salmonella, and all of them seem to share the same trait: having eaten at a particular restaurant in Lexington.
According to WRAL, dozens of North Carolina salmonella patients have contacted the Davidson County Health Department over symptoms after having dined in Tarheel Q, and it seems the major issue happened to those who dined in the venue between June 6 and 19, who should contact their local health department.
Following the North Carolina salmonella outbreak, Tarheel Q Restaurant on Highway 64 West has voluntarily shut down until next Monday, after authorities linked almost 100 salmonella patients to having eaten there - and the restaurant is currently cooperating with authorities in adjacent counties and the state's health department to "regain our customers' trust," according to Food Safety News.
As of last Tuesday, the North Carolina salmonella outbreak included over 30 individuals in Davidson County with symptoms linked to the bacteria, as well as about 40 additional people in Davie County, all of which had eaten at Tarheel Q Restaurant days before becoming sick.
The salmonella bacteria can be found in cold and hot-blooded animals, and infection symptoms for salmonellosis can include fever, nausea, diarrhea, stomach pain and occasionally, vomiting, many of which are present in the North Carolina salmonella patients.
Salmonella can also lead to other related conditions such as typhoid fever.
Food Poison Journal reports that currently the Davidson County and Davie County health departments have joined forces with the state's Division of Public Health to investigate the outbreak, which has already caused dozens of restaurant patrons to be hospitalized over stomach problems in the past few days.
For now, the actual cause of the North Carolina salmonella outbreak is unknown, as authorities continue to investigate what was the problem in Tarheel Q.