By: Paul Kennedy and Tad Stoner

Bout of food poisoning at food festival

The Tourism Association is working with health chiefs to investigate a bout of food poisoning that left more than a dozen people ill after the weekend’s Taste of Cayman festival.

Fifteen people sought treatment after complaining of sickness following Saturday’s open-air event at Camana Bay.

Another 15 telephoned both the Cayman Islands Hospital and the Chrissie Tomlinson Memorial Hospital complaining of illness.

Organisers yesterday pledged to work closely with the Department of Environmental Health (DEH) and the Health Services Authority (HSA) to investigate the cause of the poisoning, vowing to put measures in place to improve food-handling procedures to prevent any repetition at future events.

“They went to many places to eat, so it’s difficult to pinpoint one,” said Dr Kiran Kumar, director of primary health care services and medical officer of health, “but from what the patients were telling us, we have a suspicion about who it was,
[and] which place.”

He declined to name the vendor, however, citing legal implications as DEH inspectors were unable to prove the origination of the outbreak.

“They took samples of the ingredients used,” he said,. We are working with the Tourist  Association and the DEH to see what steps have to be taken, and what we could do for the  next event.”

Patients had started to arrive at hospital about midnight, Dr Kumar said, “with the last appearing about 4am,” complaining of diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal cramps.

All were discharged by 8:30am on Sunday, he said.

“We have been keeping a close watch on it, but have had no others since then.”

In total around 5,000 people attended Saturday’s all-day festival and enjoyed food and drink from 43 vendors, the largest of Cayman’s 24 food festivals, organisers said.

Cayman Islands Tourism Association (CITA) Executive Director, Jane van der Bol, said: “It is unfortunate to hear that 15 people were reported with food poison symptoms. The CITA is actively working with the Department of Environmental Health and the Health Services Authority 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.”

Dr Kumar sought to ease public alarm: “Generally, we should not be too scared. We have 600-or-so restaurants in Cayman, and food safety is very good. We take
active measures.

“I can only recall one place, some years ago, that we said would have to close unless they made a list of improvements we gave to them,” he said. “And they did.”