New York Food Poisoning Outbreak Sickens At Least 50 People

Health investigators indicate that at least 40 students and 10 chaperones from Kansas who fell ill from food poisoning on Wednesday may have contracted the illness after eating at an Italian restaurant in New York City. 

The De Soto High School Band was returning from a trip to New York and passing through Pennsylvania when students began falling ill in waves. The three-bus convoy pulled into Excela Frick Hospital in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, after the first 20 students began vomiting and experiencing diarrhea. Eventually, 50 people in total experienced symptoms of food poisoning.

School officials indicate that the food poisoning outbreak is under investigation, and it appears that all of those who fell ill ate chicken parmesan at an Italian restaurant in New York City. The name of the establishment has not been released.

The stomach bug has not been publicly identified, but it caused nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration. A number of those who got experienced symptoms did not need treatment, but about 25 had to be treated at the hospital, mostly for severe dehydration.

By mid-day, the 164-person school group was able to continue their trip, taking a supply of anti-nausea medication and Gatorade with them.

Both the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the New York Department of Health have announced that they are investigating the food poisoning outbreak to determine its source.

According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are more than 1,000 food poisoning outbreaks in the U.S. each year, hospitalizing more than 23,000 people annually. Overall, poultry, beef and fish were the three most common causes for food poisoning outbreaks, but fruits and nuts were actually associated with more illnesses.