Did the Sponge Bob leafy greens cone of silence descend on Illinois health types as they concluded in a 69-page report published today that lettuce, tomatoes and olives were the possible culprits in a Subway salmonella outbreak that sickened almost 200 earlier this year?

Pantagraph.com reported today that officials with the Illinois Department of Public Health traced a salmonella outbreak at Subway restaurants to one Central Illinois food distributor, but in a final report on the incident issued Thursday, could not identify the exact source of the problem, which led to 109 confirmed cases and another 90-plus probable or suspect cases of the illness between late April and June.

In the 69-page report, investigators said the “most likely source” of the lettuce, tomatoes and olives linked to the illnesses was Lincoln-based Sysco Central Illinois Inc., which delivered produce to the affected restaurants.

Samples collected at the company’s distribution facility in June, after many of the victims had already contracted the illness, were tested and found negative for salmonella.

Areas that may have been the source of salmonella may have been washed down and produce that was affected may have been discarded.

The report, which will be forwarded to the federal Centers for Disease Control, shows that 299 Subway restaurants were forced to dispose of their produce during the event.

More than 480 workers at the stores had to be tested. A dozen of them were found to be positive for the strain of salmonella.

There are now 97 people sick with salmonella in 28 Illinois counties, all related to eating at a bunch of different Subway restaurants.

A bunch of the food handlers at different Subway outlets have tested positive for salmonella, but that’s probably because they’re snacking on the same ingredients the customers get in their sandwiches.

When the outbreak was first identified, Subway pulled its lettuce, green peppers, red onions and tomatoes from restaurants and brought in new supplies. A prudent produce move.

But now the Packer reports that investigators are saying fresh produce is just a “possible” source of the salmonella outbreak.

Although federal, state and local health agencies have not named fresh vegetables as the definitive source, Melaney Arnold, an Illinois Department of Public Health spokeswoman, has said the investigation was leaning toward produce as the culprit. On June 23, Arnold characterized produce only as a possible source.
 

An Illinois health spokesperson told The Packer today that fresh produce was the likely culprit sickening at least 71 people with Salmonella who ate at Subway restaurants in 22 different counties.

But no one’s really talking. That Spongebob cone of silence is working a lot better for the produce industry that it is for BP.

As of this morning, there were 71 confirmed cases of Salmonella serotype Hvittingfoss affecting people from 2- to 88-years-old.

Melaney Arnold, communications manager for the Illinois Department of Public Health told The Packer 26 people have been hospitalized, and seven were still in the hospital as of today.

Subway restaurants in 22 Illinois counties removed lettuce, green peppers, red onions and tomatoes from restaurants during the period in which people who got sick reported eating at a Subway — May 11 to May 25, according to the department — and replaced them with new product, according to a Subway news release.

Wash your damn hands so you don’t serve poop. That’s usually the key message when a shigella outbreak happens, although it could also be fresh produce grown in human poop.

Public health officials said Wednesday the number of people with confirmed cases of shigella associated with a franchised Subway restaurant in Lombard, Ill., has climbed to 78, with 11 of those individuals requiring hospitalization.

Dave Hass, public information officer for the DuPage County Health Department, said the Lombard Subway remains closed after two weeks, as his agency and the Illinois Department of Public Health continue to investigate the cluster of shigella illnesses. Ten of the 11 people hospitalized as a result of their illness have been discharged, he said.

Les Winograd, a spokesman for Doctor’s Associates Inc. of Milford, Conn., franchisor of the 32,502-unit Subway chain, said the franchisee at the Lombard store voluntary closed the restaurant after learning of the outbreak of illnesses.

Public health officials said shigella is spread through fecal contamination and that most people who are infected with the toxin develop gastrointestinal illness, such as diarrhea, vomiting, fever and stomach cramps, one to two days after being exposed.