The NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters have received new information about a salmonella outbreak we first told you about earlier this month, and seems it quite a bit larger than originally believed.
Chief Investigative Reporter Len Besthoff began looking into the story after learning that health inspectors had refused to share any information about the case, even with one of the victims.
We finally got the details we've been asking for in the Connecticut Epidemiologist newsletter. It outlines a case from May in which a restaurant is not named, but the inspection and closure dates coincide with all of those included in our original report.
We brought you the story of Kamran Niazi, who told the Troubleshooters he was diagnosed with salmonella after eating chicken pizza at Oregano Joe's on the Boston Post Road in Orange.
Health inspectors would not reveal anything about the case, citing state laws that they say forbid them from sharing the details with the public, except if the outbreak is large enough.
The Troubleshooters first learned of two salmonella victims, but the new report says at least eight and probably more people contracted the food-borne illness, raising questions about what health inspectors should report, and when.
The newsletter indicates the likely cause of the salmonella outbreak this spring was from undercooked chicken, with bare-hand contact leading to further contamination.
Investigations
Oregano Joe's was closed twice for a total of 39 days in connection with the outbreak.
The restaurant declined to comment on the case.
