Health department probes reports of salmonella outbreak at hotel
Published:Thursday | January 7, 2021 | 12:24 AMKavarly Arnold/Gleaner Writer
Western Bureau:
The Hanover Health Department has confirmed that there is an ongoing investigation into reports of a salmonella outbreak last month at the Grand Palladium Jamaica Resort and Spa in Lucea, Hanover.
A New York Post report this week claimed that an apparent salmonella outbreak at the resort had ruined vacations for dozens of holiday travellers, some of whom are considering legal action.
Hanover’s chief public health inspector, Patricia Hall Patterson, told The Gleaner that an investigation into an outbreak that started in early December is ongoing, adding that the bacterial infection was under control.
Salmonella, a food-related illness, is caused by the bacteria called salmonellosis and can trigger an upset stomach, diarrhoea, fever, and pain and cramping in the belly.
“It is under control because the main kitchen was closed. The team was there. They came to a conclusion and recommendations were made. Since then, we have not had any cases, not to my knowledge. We did our part and we’re still doing some investigations,” Hall Patterson said.
When contacted by The Gleaner, officials at the 537-room resort, which boasts 11 restaurants and 17 bars, said they could not confirm reports of such an outbreak.
Nearly 100 cases, website reports
However, a person posting with a name similar to that of the hotel manager has apologised to guests who complained publicly online, saying that an investigation was under way.
A guest, who visited the resort last month with family of five, complained on Trip Advisor that “ALL OF US I mean all of us got food poisoning”.
Enrico Pezzoli responded in a comment that: “We host hundreds of guest daily and while we are grateful that the situation is minimal, we commenced a full investigation ... .”
Iwaspoisoned.com, a consumer-led platform to report suspected food poisoning, tallied the number of guests who have allegedly become ill at the resort in December at close to 100, based on reports from websites, including the property’s Facebook page and travel websites TripAdvisor, Orbitz and Booking.com.
When asked to confirm the numbers, Hall Paterson, who did not provide a number, described the report as “... way out of line”.
“That is gross allegation,” she said.