State confirms 20 botulism cases; 9 more suspected
- 20 cases of botulism confirmed
- Potato salad%2C spaghetti pasta salad%2C macaroni and cheese among possible culprits
LANCASTER – The food at a church potluck that is suspected of killing one person and sending 28 others to the hospital is now being described by health officials as the cause of a "botulism outbreak."
The Ohio Department of Health reported 20 confirmed botulism cases and nine still suspected Friday afternoon. The number of suspected cases has risen daily since the outbreak Sunday at the Cross Pointe Free Will Baptist Church.
The cases that were confirmed on Friday also include the death of Rushville resident Kennetha "Kim" Shaw.
ODH spokeswoman Cassie Bala said investigators are still narrowing down the contaminated food source, but the preliminary lab results point to three dishes in particular:
"We have six food specimens that are preliminary positive," she said.
The positive food specimens are four potato salad samples, one spaghetti pasta salad sample and one macaroni and cheese sample.
Bala reiterated that the results are preliminary and that there is a chance of cross-contamination because the food items were found and collected from trash bins.
PREVIOUSLY: Woman who died after church picnic identified