After a large catered event Wednesday at a Maitland, FL, office building, 55 employees who reportedly became ill were treated by fire department personnel and 25 were hospitalized in stable condition.
Officials said it was a possible case of food poisoning. “There’s a significant number of patients that have symptoms that are consistent with a stomach illness,” said Maitland Deputy Fire Chief Will Watts. A spokesman for the Florida Department of Health said that symptoms included vomiting and diarrhea. “It’s a pretty big outbreak to have so many people become sick in one location,” said Dain Weister. “It’s not too often that we have so many people sick.” The department is investigating what might have caused the illnesses, which could take several weeks, Weister said. The office building, Maitland Colonnades, is located at 2301 Lucien Way. More than 700 people reportedly attended the event.
