Posted: November 17th, 2010 - 10:52pm by Doug Powell

There are now at least 159 individuals have reported becoming ill, with one hospitalization, following a Kansas church dinner earlier this month.

The Sacred Heart Turkey Dinner that was held on the evening of November 8, 2010, in Arkansas City, KS, had over 1,800 people in attendance.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and City-Cowley County Health Department, with assistance from the Kansas Department of Agriculture and the cooperation of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Arkansas City, are continuing to conduct an investigation of a possible foodborne illness outbreak, and are asking for the public’s help in completing a survey to identify the source of the outbreak.

“It’s really important that everyone who attended the dinner or consumed food prepared for the event complete this survey or contact the health department,” said Dr. Jason Eberhart-Phillips, Kansas State Health Officer and Director of KDHE’s Division of Health. “Regardless of whether you’ve become sick, the information you provide will help us better understand what may have caused this gastrointestinal outbreak.”

The KDHE survey is available at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SacredHeartDinner.