County: Many Sick After Westchester Burger & Beer Bash

Tests show several people who came became ill after attending the June 6 Burger and Beer Bash at Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla have been infected by Campylobacter, a bacteria, Westchester County Health Department officials confirmed today.

"Anyone who has not already become sick following this event should no longer be at risk," Health Commissioner Sherlita Amler, MD, said in a statement. "Anyone who continues to have symptoms should contact his or her physician and should not go to work or school until symptoms resolve."

According to the Health Department, many people who were infected ate from several of the 30 total food vendors present at the outdoor festival and the bacteria's origin may not be traceable.

"However, the health department is actively investigating and interviewing people who attended in an effort to identify the food or foods that may have been the source," the statement says.

Campylobacteriosis is associated with the consumption of raw or undercooked poultry or "from cross-contamination of other foods by these items," the county reports.

Symptoms, including diarrhea, vomiting and fever, are known to occur between two and five days after the contaminated food is eaten, the statement asserts.

Most infected will not need medication and return to normal health within three to five days, though it can take up to 10 days to recover, the county reports. In rarer, more severe cases, antibiotics can be prescribed.

The Health Department reports that it issues more than 500 "temporary food service permits" on an annual basis, but none have resulted in a food outbreak like this one "in recent memory."

"As part of our response, the health department will send sanitarians to each of the food service establishments who participated in the festival to provide a refresher to restaurant staff about food safety, with special emphasis on safe off-site practices," Amler noted. "Sanitarians will also conduct a detailed food preparation review by observing as restaurant staffers prepare the foods they served at the June 6 event."