Eight people are confirmed to have Salmonella infections in an outbreak traced to a pancake breakfast in Thurmont, Maryland.
Source of the illnesses is said to be contaminated sausage served at a March 5 church breakfast. The implicated sausage had been purchased at a 4-H “Country Butchering” event held on Jan. 27, according to the Frederick County Health Department.
All of those sickened had attended the fundraising breakfast at the Trinity United Church of Christ in Thurmont and became ill a few days later. On March 11, Frederick Memorial Hospital staff received lab results indicating the case patients tested positive for Salmonella infantis.
Although there was no sausage left over from the breakfast to test, samples of the sausage sold at the local butchering event were analyzed by the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and found to contain the outbreak strain of Salmonella, the local health department said.
The state and local health departments are working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to determine how the sausage became contaminated.
The health department is advising consumers not to eat any sausage from the butchering event. While the risk of salmonellosis can be reduced with adequate cooking, the Health Department recommends that the sausage be discarded.
