The salmonella illness emerged after fundraiser for a volunteer fire department in Rutherford county.
“Salmonella can be very serious and cause death in some people,” said deputy state epidemiologist John Dunn.
No one died, but several people got sick, some hospitalized.
“We know of a number of others — 18 total so far and hearing of more and all attended the Lascassas Fire Department fish fry on September 10th,” said Dunn.
More than 400 people attended the event at the station on Lascassas Pike. The meal included fried fish and chicken along with homemade white beans other sides an array of desserts.
Since then, many were sickened by salmonella and shared their experiences on Facebook.
One woman lost 15 pounds, another ended up in the hospital, and one was sick for over a week and still not 100 percent.
This was the first time something like this has ever happened at a Lascassas Volunteer Fire fundraiser.