Multiple children were hospitalized over Shabbos in Flatbush, all suffering from Salmonella.

Sources tell YWN that the children all attend the same local Sephardic Yeshiva.

Two children were hospitalized on Friday and one was in serious condition. The hospital contacted the NYC Health Department, which determined that the cause may have been from food delivered to the school.

The school had ordered and served schwarma from a local food establishment last week on Wednesday, Rosh Chodesh.

The school had also ordered sandwiches, but none of the children who ate them were sickened.

After the school was notified of the confirmed salmonella, a Flatbush Hatzolah member went around to houses of children in the school and found at least 7 children showing symptoms.

All the children were transported by Hatzolah to hospitals – and all confirmed to have salmonella.

YWN spoke with the owner of the establishment in question, who tells us he is meticulous about food safety, and this is the first time he has ever received complaints of this kind.

He explained that he served over 100 customers from the same batch of schwarma on Wednesday – including another big order – and did not receive any complaints. Nor did he hear complaints from any of his customers served on Thursday.

The store owner said it was more likely the cause for the outbreak originated within the school. He says he did not supply serving utensils, plates or forks with the food and perhaps the school used an item that was infected. He wondered if perhaps one child or school employee touched the food with dirty hands and infected the whole tray. Another cause, he suggested, may have been the aluminium foil or tins in which the food was delivered.

An investigation was underway.

If anyone in Flatbush ate schwarma from a local store and has any of the symptoms listed below, please seek immediate medical attention.

Signs and symptoms of Salmonella infection:

Most people infected with Salmonella develop the following signs and symptoms 12 to 72 hours after being exposed to the bacteria:

Diarrhea

Fever

Abdominal cramps

How long does the illness last?

The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most people recover without treatment.

In some people, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. Salmonella infection may spread from the intestines to the bloodstream and then to other places in the body.

In rare cases, Salmonella infection can cause death unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics.

(Nat Golden – YWN)