Public Health โ Seattle and King County said it's looking into an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness associated with the event in which food was provided by Tacos El Guero. Symptoms and the timing of the "illness onsets were suggestive of a bacterial toxin, such as Clostridium perfringens or Bacillus cereus," the department said. The 34 sick people each developed, from Thursday to Friday, one or more symptoms consistent with the bacterial toxin, including diarrhea, abdominal cramping and nausea, the health department said.
The exact food or drink that caused the outbreak hasn't been identified, the department added, saying that it's "not uncommon for outbreaks associated with a bacterial toxin. Environmental health investigators visited the food truck and restaurant on Monday and "identified potential risk factors for bacterial toxin growth including inadequate refrigeration and improper cooling of food," the health department said.
Based on unsafe food handling practices identified during the investigation, environmental health investigators closed the restaurant on September 18, Environmental Health investigators will revisit the facility to ensure adoption of safe food handling practices prior to allowing the restaurant to reopen.
The health department said bacterial illnesses are typically short-lived and by the time people seek care, if they do at all, the symptoms are gone anyway. The department said it doesn't have lab testing for the people who got sick. Fri, 31 Jan GMT Story Infinite Scroll - News3 v1. School Delays. Weather FAQ. KOMO Cams. Hurricane Tracker. Seattle Weather History. Game Center. Chime In. Now Fri Sat FILE - This file photo shows tacos, rice and beans on a plate.
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