SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District on Friday said contaminated food was to blame for dozens of people falling ill at a San Antonio Housing Authority holiday event dinner.
On Dec. 16, SAHA held its 19th Annual Golden Gala at Freeman Coliseum, where Diehard Catering was hired to feed 1,000 people. The event, which was attended by mostly SAHA residents, was hosted by the Education Investment Foundation, a nonprofit that administers the housing authority's scholarship program.
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Shortly after the dinner, dozens of people reported getting ill.
According to a Metro Health news release, epidemiologists interviewed 110 attendees. Of those interviewed, 60 percent became ill. The most-frequently reported symptoms were diarrhea, abdominal cramps, vomiting and nausea.
The investigation revealed that the organism most likely responsible for the illnesses was Staphylococcus aureus, a bacterium that produces toxins, which causes gastrointestinal illness by eating contaminated foods. Metro Health made the conclusion based on the rapid onset of symptoms and the short duration of the illnesses.
Metro Health also tested water samples from several sources at Freeman Coliseum. The samples tested negative for the presence of total coliforms and E.coli.
Metro Health inspected Diehard Catering the day after the gala and made the following discoveries:
Food not kept at the appropriate temperatures
No paper towels in the bathroom
Sanitizing procedures were not followed
A family filed a wrongful death lawsuit in connection with the incident and is seeking $1 million from the catering company.