A giardia outbreak associated with a Kentucky restaurant is under investigation.
According to the Hopkins County Health Department the outbreak has sickened an unknown number of people who ate at the El Tapatito restaurant.
The giardia duonenalis parasite causes gastrointestinal illnesses and usually sickens people who swallow contaminated recreational water or drinking water. However, the parasite can be spread by microscopic amounts of feces in food. The parasite lives in the intestine of animals and people.
Anyone who has eaten at the restaurant and developed diarrheal illness should immediately seek medical attention and ask to be tested.
Hopkins County and the state of Kentucky environmentalists have inspected the restaurant and taken samples. They will also be conducting food service training.
“During the inspection, inspectors found that the walk in refrigerator had a temperature excursion, which means that temperatures were outside the safe storage range, in other words, over 40 degrees F. The food will be discarded, and and the restaurant will be closed for maintenance,” according to the county health department officials.
Officials said that there is no problem with drinking water in the county. Treated municipal drinking water is rarely contaminated with this parasite.
“If you do have a diarrheal illness, even if it isn’t Giardia, you must not go to work, especially in daycare, healthcare, or food service positions, until it has been at least 24 hours since the last bout of diarrhea,” according to the health department outbreak notice.
Symptoms of Giardia usually begin one to two weeks after swallowing water or food that contains the parasite. The illness usually persists for two to six weeks, although people with compromised immune systems may be sick for a longer period of time. There is no word about whether or not anyone has been hospitalized in this outbreak, according to the health department.
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