Shinnecock Nation leaders link salmonella outbreak to private community event
At least 58 people have been treated at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital as a result of the outbreak, according to hospital officials.
Leaders of the Shinnecock Nation say a salmonella outbreak that has sickened dozens of people on Long Island's South Fork appears to be connected to a private event held in the community.
At least 58 people have been treated at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital as a result of the outbreak, according to hospital officials.
Shinnecock Nation leaders said the first illnesses were identified on July 2. Sources told News 12 that people consumed food left over from the Palm Tree Music Festival, which was held in late June.
North Sea resident Ted Gordon said a family friend became ill after attending a funeral on the reservation.
"She was up on the res for a funeral and ate some food and spent two days in the hospital," Gordon said.
Salmonella is a bacterial infection commonly associated with contaminated or undercooked food, but health experts say it can also spread through person-to-person contact if proper hygiene is not practiced.
"You can get it from someone having it on their hands," said Dr. Kostas Sideridis, chief of gastroenterology at Plainview Hospital. "They go to the bathroom, do not wash their hands, touch the doorknob, you touch the doorknob, you just got the bacteria."
Doctors recommend frequent handwashing and ensuring food is thoroughly cooked to help prevent infection.
Common symptoms of salmonella include diarrhea, fever, stomach pain, vomiting and headache.
East Moriches resident Josh Rojas said public health officials should take every precaution to prevent additional cases.
"Do everything that's necessary to avoid increasing the amount of people getting sick," Rojas said.
The Suffolk County Department of Health Services is collecting information as it investigates the outbreak but declined to comment further.
News 12 also reached out to the organizers of the Palm Tree Music Festival for comment, but has not heard back yet.
