After Hurricane Harvey hit Houston last year, a catered meal donated to a local hospital led to a Staphylococcus aureus outbreak that sickened dozens of staff members, a case study published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology revealed.
A catered meal was donated and served to staff of the unnamed Houston hospital Sept. 1, 2017. All 191 staff members working at the hospital when the meal was served were contacted, and 92 people reported eating some of the meal. Of these consumers, 50 reported acute gastrointestinal symptoms after eating. No hospitalized patients were sickened by the meal.
The hospital notified the health department of the suspected outbreak. Leftover food samples were taken for testing.
Ill hospital staff were excluded from work until they recovered. The hospital emphasized hand hygiene practices, and nursing staff were instructed to report any patients with new onset vomiting or diarrhea to infection control personnel.