After Salmonella outbreak, chowder safe, tasty, health director says

Dr. David Matson made it clear Thursday.

"The risk is gone," said the Eastern Shore Health District director.

Matson traveled from the health department in Accomac about 45 minutes north to Chincoteague on Thursday to eat lunch.

It was more than a mere lunch. The meal at the Crab Shack on Maddox Boulevard was Matson's statement to the public — an endorsement, if you will —  that the restaurant's award-winning clam chowder is safe.

It was also tasty — a lightly creamy, savory broth chock full of clams, along with potatoes, celery and carrots, with a hint of bacon, he said.

The health departmen identified the site as the source of a salmonella outbreak Oct. 24 after the Chincoteague Chili Chowder Cook Off in late September.

"The risk of illness was only one day, one place, one group, one thing," Matson said, by way of explaining the technical terminology, "point-source outbreak," used by epidemiologists.

The establishment was identified in a news release Tuesday from the health district because there were additional ones also serving chowder at the event.

About 180 people reported becoming ill after the event. Around half of those sought medical care, with 20 percent receiving emergency room care — 10 percent were hospitalized for one or more nights. No deaths were reported.

Most of those stricken were Virginia residents, followed by Maryland residents.

Additionally, cases were reported from Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and North Carolina residents who attended the event.

It was the first time in memory a food poisoning outbreak has resulted from a temporary food event on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, Matson said, adding that Keith Privett, a 35-year Eastern Shore Health District employee, could not recall anything similar.

"So, this is rare, it's unfortunate and it was one time," Matson said.

He thought the way to reassure the public there is no lingering effect from the incident was to go eat the implicated item.

"The easiest thing to do is go to the place that we linked to the illness that was reported to us and eat the same thing," he said, digging into a steaming bowl of chowder.

The Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services in Richmond, Virginia, first identified Salmonella javiana in samples submitted by health care providers and health officials from event attendees who reported gastro-intestinal illness.

Tuesday, the agency identified the same strain in a sample of clam chowder obtained from an attendee served during the event, according to a news release.

About 500 survey responses, from both ill and non-ill attendees, were recorded in 18 days.

BACKGROUND: Va. Salmonella linked to clam chowder served at Virginia cookoff

The other message Matson wanted to convey this day was, "there is a huge number of temporary events on the Eastern Shore of Virginia every year, and it's almost hard to find anyone who has a memory" of any food-borne illness incidents linked to them.

"It's to the credit of the many, many, many food preparers of the Shore that incidents of this kind are beyond the ability of people to remember. When was the last one?" Matson said.

The health department is giving recommendations for the future to both the event coordinator and the restaurant that served the chowder, he said, adding, "Those recommendations will be for all of the participants."

New regulations governing such events took effect July 1, 2016, but the date for full compliance being required with the regulations is not until July 1, 2018, Matson said.

A Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company spokeswoman said last week the company plans to continue to hold the annual event, with extra safety precautions.

On Twitter @cvvaughnESN

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