Over 500 People Ill After Taste Of Chicago

How Ironic. Over 500 people are sick after a poisoning outbreak at Taste of Chicago.

As of noon today, 529 people had called claiming symptoms of salmonella poisoning, according to a news release.

Fifty cases have been confirmed as salmonellosis. Of the 50, 36 have been identified as salmonella heidelberg, one of the more common forms of salmonella poisoning in the United States, the release said.

Seventeen people have been hospitalized.

Officials said the pace of reported illnesses has slowed since they first went public with the outbreak last week and encouraged anyone with symptoms to report them.

Officials said last week they had determined that at least one—and perhaps the only—source of the bacterial poisoning was a dish of hummus with herbs, tomato and cucumber and ordered Pars Cove to stop serving hummus while a full investigation proceeds.

Officials have also cautioned that the outbreak may not be as widespread as it seems, as symptoms cannot be tied to salmonella without laboratory testing.

Let it be documented that if any of you reading ever want to invite me to this event, I now have a way out - a reference to this article.

More than 500 illnesses reported after Taste Of Chicago  [Chicago Tribune via Consumerist]