A Montana school district has suspended the use of all fresh produce and fruit in response to a Salmonella outbreak. The Great Falls Public Schools district is replacing fresh produce and fruits with dried and canned alternatives across all schools. The outbreak among students in the Great Falls Public Schools district has sickened 10 students and staff at four elementary schools.
Another person with no connections to any school has tested positive for the outbreak strain. Other patients are awaiting test results before being added to the official count. The Cascade City-County Health Department in Great Falls is investigating the outbreak with the help of Montana public health officials.
The first patient was reported on Oct. 30. According to a news release from the health department, the most recent person to become ill had symptoms onset on Nov.
12. “The CCHD has been in contact with all confirmed individuals and is working with Great Falls Public Schools nursing staff and leadership to notify families, limit the spread, and identify potential sources of contamination,” according to the health department’s statement. The outbreak’s source has not yet been confirmed, but officials are interviewing patients and their families about what foods they have consumed recently in hopes of finding a common exposure.
The Montana Department of Public Health & Human Services is also investigating connections to Salmonella cases in other Montana counties and states. About Salmon.
