My grandmother worked in retail in downtown Toronto (that’s in Canada) for 30+ years. She used to manage the women’s clothing department at Simpson’s (a department store at the corner of Queen and Yonge – which is now a Hudson’s Bay Company store).
Every year around Christmas she’d take me on the streetcar to Simpson’s to see the holiday set-up in the windows (Santa, trains, snow etc.), we’d go toy shopping, and then she’d take me to Druxy’s (a deli-type restaurant) for a hot dog. It was sort of our thing.
This week, a Druxy’s in Hamilton, Ontario (also in Canada) has been linked to an outbreak of what the health department is calling a “stomach flu.”
According to the City of Hamilton Public Health, all 33 people who attended a Druxy’s-catered event on December 13 have been suffering from gastrointestinal distress symptoms. No one has been hospitalized.
Druxy’s was ordered closed on Thursday as the health department investigated the outbreak.
Dr. Chris Mackie, associate medical officer of health, says it appears the catered food was handled by two workers who were sick, since all party participants became sick. He said if the problem had been an item of food, not all the partiers would have been hit with gastrointestinal illness or stomach flu.
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“The office was decimated for this poor company,” said Mackie. “They are all off.”The department says Druxy’s has catered three other events since Monday. It would like to hear from participants at those parties and is asking people to dispose of Druxy’s food kept as leftovers.
The newest food safety infosheet focuses on a large gathering-linked outbreak as well, resulting in tragedy as one of the attendees has died. The outbreak, connected to pathogenic E. coli, is connected to a family Thanksgiving gathering in Missouri. Click here to download the food safety infosheet.