A total of 24 people have now been affected by food poisoning at a restaurant in Argana in Arrecife, with no need for hospital admission, according to Álvaro Torres, head of the epidemiological surveillance unit of the Canary Islands.
The origin of the poisoning was a birthday celebration this past weekend and the average age of those poisoned is 31 years old, as explained by Álvaro Torres on Radio Lanzarote-Onda Cero. The affected individuals went to the Valterra Health Center with "severe discomfort, although none of them had to be admitted to the hospital," adds the epidemiologist.
They are currently investigating the origin of the poisoning in the hospital, and the hypothesis they had from the beginning has already been confirmed: "It is a specific bacteria" that has affected the health of the restaurant's customers, "it is salmonellosis," the expert has advanced. Although he makes it clear that "it cannot be ruled out that there may be some other bacteria as well."
"It's salmonellosis, but it cannot be ruled out that there may be some other bacteria as well."
"We are also analyzing the foods from which this poisoning comes," since, according to Torres, in the establishment "they were eating a cake from another establishment." "Therefore, it could have come from both the restaurant's food and the cake with which they were celebrating the birthday."
Although it is a main thing to examine the people who have fallen ill, it is also necessary to focus on "those who have not gotten sick," the expert points out. A way to rule out the possible causes of the poisoning.
In addition, at this time, what is needed is from inspection "to study the conditions of the establishment," says Torres. Some colleagues will go to the restaurant to check: the way food arrives, is stored and handled, and is presented to customers, adds the epidemiologist.
It is also important to find out "if the staff who are in contact with food have the food handling card," he clarifies. It is advanced that it will be an Inspection that "decides if the conditions of inefficiencies in non-compliance that they are seeing are sufficient to close the establishment," says Torres.
