Food poisoning outbreak at Taste of Cayman
Posted on Mon, 01/30/2012 - 11:50 in Health
(CNS): Updated 2pm -- Government officials have confirmed that at least 20 people may have been brought down with food poisoning just hours after attending this year’s Taste of Cayman event at Camana Bay on Saturday evening. Patients began arriving at the Cayman Islands hospital after attending the food festival complaining of diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal cramps from around midnight on Saturday night. Dr Kiran Kumar said the food poisoning symptoms came 4 to 6 hours after consumption of food at the event. Based on the symptoms, the public health boss said this pointed to staphylococcal, an organism that is widely prevalent, which multiplies and produces toxin.
Officials have not yet been able to trace the source of the bug but Dr Kumar said tests could be done on leftover suspected food. "The suspected food or foods involved will be based on a common thread of usage by the patients," he said. "It is difficult to pinpoint due to many persons who ate specific food and did not get sick and people who have eaten at many vendors."
It is understood that most of the patients recovered quickly and were released from hospital without any further adverse consequences.
Public health officials said several more people are understood to have taken ill but they did not seek treatment or attended private surgeries. One confirmed case was also reported at the Chrissie Tomlinson Hospital.
Anyone who believes they were sick on Saturday night-Sunday morning as a result of food eaten at the event but who has not sought medical attention is asked to contact the Public Health Department's Surveillance Officer at timothy.mclaughlin@hsa.ky or call on 244-2651 or 244-221 to help the department get full picture of the symptoms and foods eaten.
CNS has also contacted the Department of Environmental Health to ascertain how food safety and hygiene standards are managed at the event and is awaiting a response.
The annual food extravaganza organized by the Cayman Islands Tourism Association attracted more than 5,000 people this year and was the biggest in the event's history.
CITA Executive Director, Jane van der Bol, said over 43 food and beverage vendors attended and it was unfortunate to hear that people were reported with food poison symptoms.
"The CITA is actively working with the Department of Environmental Health (DEH) and the Health Services Authority (HSA) to investigate further the cause of the food poisoning. The CITA is also pro-actively working with the DEH and HSA on creating improved food handling procedures for all future outdoor events in Cayman that offer food and beverage services," she added.
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The article says 20 people
The article says 20 people sick? That's a laugh, I know 20 people who got sick other than me. None of us went to the hospital. I'm sure there were plenty of tourist that got sick as well. Word around town is dozens, if not hundreds got sick.
This article really should be updated and the story followed up. We shouldn't just sweep this under the rug, please report the news for the people instead of protecting certain people from bad publicity. It would be better for Taste Of Cayman and the other vendors not responsible to get the facts. I'm already hearing a lot of people say they will not go back if they don't know the vendor responsible.
I guess we should look to see what restaurant pays for a lot of upcoming advertising.
I guess the investigation is
I guess the investigation is over? No reply as to who is responsible? Need some follow up reporting. I was one of the ones that got sick and didn't go to the hospital. I haven't called anyone to officially let my case be known. I would like to hear who was responsible.XXXX Would love some clarification.
This is crazy, they need to
This is crazy, they need to be more responsible handling people's food!
I watched an interview with
I watched an interview with Jane van der Bol on Cayman 27 News. She called the outbreak an "unfortunate event." I'm sure it was! No apology. No promise to try to find out how it happened. No promise to those who supported the TOC event that CITA will do all it can avoid the same problem happenin next year. No extension of compensation to those who fell sick -- free entry to next year's event would have been both thoughtful and a great PR exercise. If the Executive Director of CITA choses to treat the outbreak of a very disabling illness with complete indifference, I hope members of the public keep this very unfortunate episode in mind when the event is advertised next year.
Come on 22:58, it's a bit
Come on 22:58, it's a bit harsh to accuse this lady of treating the incident "with complete indifference." Right there in the CNS article she said it was "unfortunate to hear that people were reported with food poison symptoms." The article further quotes her as saying "The CITA is actively working with the Department of Environmental Health (DEH) and the Health Services Authority (HSA) to investigate further the cause of the food poisoning. The CITA is also pro-actively working with the DEH and HSA on creating improved food handling procedures for all future outdoor events in Cayman that offer food and beverage services."
On the Cayman 27 TV News site the article quotes her as saying "This is a terrible thing that has happened. This is so heartbreaking. No one wants to be sick. ... We will learn from this and do our best to ensure this does not ever happen again ... We are taking this very seriously ... For the future Taste of Cayman festivals we will have some type of vendor training to ensure proper food safety is carried out. The restaurants are not at their normal place for serving food, so we will need to ensure they know how to handle food when they come to Taste of Cayman to serve food.” The TV clip didn't air those statements but in the clip the news announcer did mention that CITA, the HSA and Dr. Kumar would be discussing training and how food is handled at future events.
Doesn't sound like indifference to me!
I think TOC needs to be
I think TOC needs to be spread out over a long weekend and certain mix of vendors get only one showcase/display and offer QUALITY with less QUANTITY and a win win situation for everyone. This will give all the booths a better chance of being visited and attract a new future customer with presentation,style and most important friendliness.
"CITA is also pro-actively
"CITA is also pro-actively working with the DEH and HSA on creating improved food handling procedures for all future outdoor events" - Improved? Why? The majority of vendors appear to have followed proper procedures and the sickness was not widespread to more of the 5000 attendees.
My guess is that one or two vendors did not follow current procedures and a few people got sick.
The problem is not the procedures, but whether people follow them or not.
The TOC was poorly run last
The TOC was poorly run last year for some of the vendors who were treated like 2nd class citizens, especially if you were a small Caymanian owned business. Last year there was even a case of an unregistered food vendor piggy backing it in another vendors stall. When this was reported to TOC nothing happened. This year it was terrible for the customers. So sorry that so many got sick.
XXXX
The new Director will need a crash course in PR , if all she can say is 5000 people came and only 0.03% got food poisioning. Is that the best that she can do to decrease the colleteral damage? How can she give a percentage when the "true numbers" are not yet known. But I dont suspect that we will ever hear the full extent of the food poisioning and obviously even if the source is tracked, they will never be revealed.
I enjoyed the TOC that was
I enjoyed the TOC that was spread throughout Caymana Bay in the past other than only getting hotdogs for my money as all the booths had run out of food. This time was the worst yet. I will not be going back.
An hour in line not to buy tickets but to show my ticket to get in all the while listening to some guy barking at people to "move along". I wasn't given my raffle ticket. The hour long process of just getting in put me in a foul mood right out of the gate. Then to get near any food was a challenge. Then I find that food is running out at some booths. 5000 people rammed into that small space along the water. I could barely move. Not my idea of fun to wait in line for two mouthfuls of food each time then have to get in some other line. I didn't get anywhere near my moneys worth out of this. Not even close. I left hungry.
Then, to top it off, I got to spend the rest of my evening at home in and out of the bathroom. Talk about icing on the cake. I'm sorry to all those who worked hard on this event but from my perspective as someone attending this was a complete disaster. Instead of showcasing the high quality restaurants we have here people got sick. I genuinely regret going.
I had a late lunch so I
I had a late lunch so I didn't go to ToC for my dinner.
I can tell you that it was NOT Agua's Ceviche. I had about 6 helpings.
Did someone say glutton?
This taste of Cayman event
This taste of Cayman event should be held in each district each year. Wha wrong wid una people anyway. Fe Pete,s sake ye gaw keep telling una every thing.
Ok Stop one minute, think about it TASTE OF CAYMAN.
Now will someone tell me in plain old English why this cannot be held in each district. Go head tell me. Because I cannot fathom an excuse.
Imagine it could run like this. Each District on a Friday Night could have this. Meaning, this Friday Night East End, Nest Friday night North Side, then Bodden Town, George Town and West Bay. and of course Cayman Brac and Little Cayman Get the opportunity to visit all of them, taste all of the nice food to be sampled, and use a Box with paper and pensil by each station to vote on the food station.
At the end of six or seven weeks, we then count which district had the most votes and we have a big event and give a Trophy. How does that sound. Ok , now it is open for yes or no, sounds good or maybe so.
I love Caymana Bay, but too many things are centered areound there now. Spread the activities out to some of the districts. Come on now. Who is to blame but MY PEOPLE
I woulld really like to know
I woulld really like to know what it is that invironmental health is doing to receive a salary. These fast food places are not being checked. They should be checked weekly for cleanliness of food and staff, because things that happen is unbelievable. It is not reported. Imagine people go to the bathroom, clean you know what and make you a hamburger without washing hands.
The investigation staff of that department needs to change. XXXX
When ya sittin in ya chevy n
When ya sittin in ya chevy n ya feel sumpn heavy...diarreah, diarreah
I remember when TOC was a
I remember when TOC was a well planned event. The first year when I attended was at the beach where the Westin hotel is now then a few more years over by the huge piece of land between Sunshine Suites and the Ritz.. It sure did have a Cayman flare and flavour to it. Come on CITA and the restaurant association you can do beeter than this. To me The Cayman Islands isn't being promoted here its Camana Bay. We need to bring back more traditions to events like this and why such a high price increase. Bring back the raffle, with a piece of land or a house or a energy efficient car gas/electric or electric. Come on CITA start promoting this annual event and the other events with a more of cayman theme. that's my 2 cents for what its worth.... Sorry to all those who got sick, but I for one don't visit the hospital as the service is far from well lets say it is not great... Thanfully there are private doctors who take the time and do care... Hospital too many horror stories at the Govt hospital, sorry....
I also preferred when it was
I also preferred when it was in the big open area next to Ritz ... and you were free to sample from all the participants. Not a system where you sample 5-10 only. But the fact that the event was sold out means that many disagree with us unfortunately,
Although I like Camana Bay, I
Although I like Camana Bay, I agree with this poster. I get tired of going to C Bay for every event that comes up. It gets a bit old after a while, and frankly, it's nicer to shop and dine there when an event is not taking place. I don't know if more people attend when events are held at Camana Bay or if it has to do with the streetscape itself, but things always seem more crowded there -- so crowded it is difficult to properly enjoy the events taking place.
It would be nice to have a bit of variety -- not just Camana Bay and town.
For many a year I have been
For many a year I have been wondering if we do have an environmental health on this Island. If so they perhaps need training. Alot of these people handling food are nasty and do not have a clue about higeine. Years back when we had Miss Threepence from North Side, Miss Cooney and other Caymanians selling their food you never had to worry if it was clean. Now a days when you attend a food stall from afar back you can see the place smoking out with jerk food. This kind of cooking do not relate to Cayman whatsoever. Next but not least I wonder why enviromental dont go around and check on the Beauty Salons that are making so many people including men get fungus nails. Some of the so called Salons do not even have proper tubs for cleaning your feet, nor sterilizing kit for their combs brushes and nail cleaning equipment. We need a very clean Caymanian especially from West Bay to assist in checking out these Salons. I was the third person the Doctor confirmed to me one night at the hospital with nail fungus.An example of how a Beauty Salon should be kept is Miss Judys. She should be employed to give lessons to some others.
I gave you a thumbs down when
I gave you a thumbs down when you said a Caymanian from West Bay. Everything else made sense. I don't see how it matters where the person who is doing the food handling course is from as long as the course is done. The same goes for the nail salons and I do agree with that. I saw someone come in to a salon and ask for a nail clipper to cut their nail and then returned the nail to the drawer. I was quite disgusted when I saw that.
Sounds like they got a
Sounds like they got a "taste" of something alright; but it wasn't a "taste of Cayman", that's for sure! Sad, disgusting, and dangerous. Food poisoning can kill.
the peopleCooking food
the peopleCooking food commercially for others to eat demands high health and safety standards, which were obviously ignored by some participants at TOC. If someone can identify the culprit(s) shop them; they deserve to be exposed. Furthermore, the food industry should establish a regulatory authority (apart from any government body) to ensure hygiene standards are maintained. The food industry and the organisers of TOC must appreciate that this epiosode seriously threatens the TOC project, especially if a blind eye is turned to this epiosde and no steps are taken to guarantee this will never happen again.
TOC organisers: Comments?
15 reported cases, and I also
15 reported cases, and I also know of at least 10 cases where people did not go to the hospital. This is far more widespread than people imagine and I hope everyone who was ill reports it so they can pin point where this originated. This was by far the worst reaction I have ever had to food.
Almost everyone who got sick
Almost everyone who got sick stayed home and are not reporting it to the authorities. The official reported issue was approx 35 (per Compass). But via work, friends and neighbours that went, I already know of more than 35 cases.
It wasn't the Caybrew thats
It wasn't the Caybrew thats for sure or I would be a dead man right now!!
I got sick and I did not even
I got sick and I did not even go there. It must have been bad.
20:16 O LAUD YE GEEIN MI PAIN
20:16 O LAUD YE GEEIN MI PAIN BELLY., ha Ha ha ha. No saw, Una sweet ye see.
I feel sorry for all the
I feel sorry for all the people who got sick and the volunteers who worked around the clock to make the event happen.
we should all march on the
we should all march on the govenor's house!!!
How many bathrooms does he
How many bathrooms does he have?
We were sick till 10am the
We were sick till 10am the following day, our kids didn't stop crying all night.
We did not go to the hospital, as we could not bear waiting for hours.
We will not be returning to Tase of Cayman next year. Neither will our friends up the road who also felt unwell
To 7:41 the news only got out
To 7:41 the news only got out because the event was kept on DartLand. Will someone tell me if the symptoms were itches over your back, arms and legs? If so I was poisoned too. When I felt the itch coming on I had some Bush Herb and washed the sucker out. One hour after drinking the Herb tea the itching was gone and the 'runnings' began. Anyway, my stomach was very flat next morning so I really have no complaints.
@Frank, karma will come
@Frank, karma will come around to show you how not a big deal food poisoning is...Maybe when you are away on holiday somewhere...Three of our party were woken up at midnight with the most violent illness I have witnessed. I can only imagine how this affected anyone older or any children. We spoke with the hospital and they were overwhelmed with patients to the point that they weren't sure when/if an ambulance would be able to come if we needed one.
Taste of Cayman may have been a well planned event, but it was not particularly well executed. Camana Bay looked beautiful, the fireworks were fantastic and most of the food was delicious, even the offending plate. However, depending on when you arrived, to an event that advertised it served from 5 until 10pm, you either got herded through and yelled at or did not get the wine pours/glasses, lanyards, or even utensils! For such a pricey event, we assumed food safety and receiving what was promised was a given...
We are fairly certain of the origin...I assure you it was not alcohol related.
Sooo - will there be digned
Sooo - will there be digned disclaimers next year?
OR who shall we hold liable if the worse happens..?
One of our friends also got
One of our friends also got it. Fairly easy to pin down which booth since he ate at about 4 or 5 that we didn't.
As far as the event goes, I have gone for many years and after the line up and hearding through that S thing, I will not go back. I enjoyed it back on the dirt field but I think the best one was a couple years ago when it was spread out over camana bay.
P.S. I am yet to figure out how you won a gate prize since I came home with every tag on my wrist....
Wonder whether it would be
Wonder whether it would be possible to trace the culprit. Our family ate at different stands and apart from my food seeming undercooked at one stand (which I did not finish) everything was great and nobody got sick. Favourite by far Michael's Lionfish soup!!!
Me, at T of C 2012 and
Me, at T of C 2012 and beyond? No boy, i & i sticking to Corner's restaurant!
The symptoms must have been
The symptoms must have been pretty bad for all those people to go to the hospital! I wonder how many people there were who were affected and just toughed it out at home?!
I think there was a lot more
I think there was a lot more than 20 people poisoned. I know of 4 that got sick and didn't go to hospital. I'm glad TOC is so unnafordable or I might have been there too
This has been an issue for
This has been an issue for years with Batabano, Chili Cook-off, Pirate's Week and Soup-er Bowl. Restaurants send their wait-staff and bartenders to be food handlers for the night at these events and few (if any) have actually taken the DEH's 2 day Food Hygiene Certification Course.
It's pretty simple: all participating restaurants should submit their roster of certified food-handling staff before the event. Nametags should only go to those qualified individuals that present their ID at check in. Don't take food from anyone not wearing a name tag.
It would be understandable if CITA/DEH insisted upon this for future events; assuming there really is genuine remorse and a willingness to take logical steps improve health standards. Somehow this topic keeps coming up and CITA/DEH look the other way again!
Thats the danger of eating in
Thats the danger of eating in the open air and at nights, especially. I for one likes to see what I am eating. I would rather sit at my dining room table and eat my 2 dollar supper.
You can see staph, and it
You can see staph, and it doesn't change the taste of the food. So eating in the light won't help.
Staph lives on the skin of many (approx. 25%) people, it is usually transferred when someone has bacteria in larger quantities due to a cut handles food. To prevent staph poisoning food workers need to wash their hands and wear gloves if they have any cuts. Basic hygiene. Once staph is in the food you can't kill it by cooking the food like you can with e-coli. But, if the food is keep at proper temperatures ( cold or hot) the staph won't multiple. To have this outbreak, offending vendor had not one but two major violations of safe food handling as well as common sense.
I'm sorry to all the people
I'm sorry to all the people with negative comments, but we certainly had a fantastic time at ToC! Granted we did not get food poisoning, as I'm sure was the same for most of the people who attended. I thought the food was great and was not at all disappointed in what we got. I wasn't sure why food and drink tickets could not simply be interchangeable but not that big of a deal. To the person who made this comment: "There is no question that the kitchens of our restaurants are more and more being manned by persons who originate from places which are not particularly known for food hygiene." you are ridiculous and seriously xenophobic. As a foodie that travels a lot, I find the restaurants on this island to be for the most part suburb with quality standards beating most "1st world" or "western" standards across the globe. Thanks CITA, can't wait for next year!
there were far more than 15
there were far more than 15 people sick....so many stories coming around of people who stayed at home, up most of night and into morning vomiting .....whoever thinks this is not news worthy has no idea how serious food poisoning can be, imagine if the sick were children or older people, the results could be devastating
the taste of cayman people need to show us how they monitor food preparation and cleanliness throughout the event...chances are they dont at all. Imagine if soneone died? who'd be responsible? Camana Bay? CITA? the restaurants? which one....cause they may not be able to narrow it down...etc
taste of cayman is a great event...but they've gone way too big last few years.....and too pricey.....they should split it over a weekend, limit tickets, let 2000 come each evening.....whatever....but its ripe for improvement.......camana bay isnt even a good place to have it....now they jus thave it on one long road there....you can do that anywhere.....it was good when it was spread all over...now its one long, way too crowded street....
as to the standards of restaurants in cayman...all you have to do is think how often you've seen a server of chef coming in or out of a public bathroom to let you know how low the standards are being enforced in cayman.....you're also dealing with a location that has the cast majority of food served brought in frozen/de-frosted/often frozen again.....and yes i agree with another poster, there are a worrying high ongoing #'s of food poisoning all year long......perhaps the Restaurant Licencing people need to enforce standards, perhaps increase visitation, etc, etc
nobody sets out to make someone sick....but its very easy to happen if the professionals are not as professional as they could be
From what I've heard (take
From what I've heard (take this with a grain of salt) it is more cases than the 15 reported from yesterday morning. There are people who became sick but didn't go to the hospital. That being said, I also attended TOC and I'm fine; I really enjoyed the food I did try. I think an event of that size runs with a little risk given the mass production. Perhaps there will be tighter restrictions and restaurants will be more conscience at future TOC from this experience.
How can it be determined
How can it be determined officially if it was indeed food poisoning or not something like Norwalk virus which could be spread easily in large groups of people?
Norwalk and other gastros are very common and not neccessarly spread through contaminated food.
a few hours after eating 3
a few hours after eating 3 people with us became extremely ill at the exact same time. There is a clear difference. Trust me, if you didn't have it, it may be easier not to make suggestions and just read!
Quite agree. Several people
Quite agree. Several people have had these symptoms that weekend and since then, have not eaten in any restaurant and did not go to TOC. Could be a virus going around.
The incubation period for
The incubation period for norovirus is at least 24 hours.
This sounds too quick.
Well this is certainly a
Well this is certainly a shame. Definately for the people who put their trust in the organzers of this event to ensure safety, and also for the reputation of every restaurant that spent the time, effort and money to represent at this event.
I was standing in front of one booth and thought what, if any instructions relative to food safety were issued to the operators. Judging by the massive containors being used, and the lack of refridgeration at one stand... None.
Im sorry but food poison can
Im sorry but food poison can kill. I want to know what health regulations are dictated to the vendors if any. Where is the health board? I dont care what the percentage is, no matter how small, if someone had died..then there would be some hell to pay
Very disappointed by the
Very disappointed by the event.
Badly organised. We didn't get our complementary wine, there was no forks/sporks so you had to eat with your hands, didn't get the voting coin and there was way too many people to the point we could hardly walk. We arrived there at about 18:30 and there was a staff shouting at a long waiting line to herd them like cattles inside. Some stalls ran out of food. The list goes on.
For 35$, it's not worth it.
Next year, please limit the tickets sale and hire proper organisers.
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