Public health officials in San Antonio are investigating a cluster of illnesses among a group of people who attended a dinner recently, but details are scant.

logo San Antonio Housing AuthorityIn a statement issued Tuesday, the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District did not report how many people are sick or the date or location of the event. It did confirm that the sponsoring entity was the Education Investment Foundation of the San Antonio Housing Authority.

In its entirety, the health department statement said: “The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District (Metro Health) is investigating an illness occurring in individuals that attended an event sponsored by the Education Investment Foundation for San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA) residents.

“Metro Health is conducting an epidemiological public health investigation of a cluster of individuals becoming ill after attending the event. Metro Health has been working with SAHA on the preliminary investigation and will continue to investigate the situation and will take additional measures as appropriate.”

The 77-word statement over the signature of Jennifer Herroitt, assistant director of the Metro Health community health division, did not include a description of symptoms or indicate whether anyone had been hospitalized in relation to the outbreak.

However, local reports by San Antonio’s ABC News affiliate, KSAT-TV Channel 12, indicate at least one man had symptoms so severe that he was admitted to a hospital after the Dec. 15 event. He was one of about 950 people who attended the annual “Golden Gala” event at the Freeman Coliseum, according to KSAT-TV.

The man told the television news station he became ill almost immediately.

“I started walking down the hallway to my apartment and I didn’t make it,” he told KSAT-TV. “I got very sick before I even made it inside the door.”

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