Oct 23, 2008 8:29 pm US/Pacific
More Head Start Kids Poisoned By Salmonella
NORTH HOLLYWOOD (CBS) ―
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This 4-year-old girl was one of dozens of Head Start kids who became sickened after they ate food prepared out of a Volunteers of America kitchen in North Hollywood.
CBS
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A salmonella outbreak has hit the Volunteers of America Central Kitchen in North Hollywood, which prepares meals for 29 Head Start programs.
CBS
County Health Officials tell CBS 2 and KCAL 9 that there have been at least thirty-two confirmed cases of salmonella poisoning -- including fifteen hospitalizations -- stemming from the Volunteers of America Central Kitchen in North Hollywood.
Offficials say the hospitalizations included ten children and five adults.
Communicable disease doctors have pinpointed the kitchen for the outbreak which has sickened scores of people including teachers and students who eat food prepared from the kitchen.
Health officials told CBS 2 and KCAL 9 reporter Serene Branson that the facility prepares food daily for 29 Head Start programs.
All 29 facilities report at least one person coming down with salmonella-type symptoms, including fever, vomiting and diarrhea.
Health officials sent letters to parents last week confirming the outbreak.
Officials told KCAL 9 and CBS 2 on Friday that as many as 300 people ultimately might have been sickened by the tainted food.
The kitchen didn't want to speak to Branson on camera but issued a statement about the outbreak:
"The recent occurence of an illness within our children's services division was promptly resolved. We are continuing to consult and assess matter with the Health Department to best prevent future illness."
Officials are still trying to determine what food exactly caused the salmonella outbreak.
The Department of Public Health ordered the charity to throw out all food and wash down the facility with a bleach-and-water solution.
Visit the
USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service for more information.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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