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A bad case of food poisoning has affected more than 100 guests at the Hotel Cavanna in La Manga del Mar Menor this weekend, according to the Regional Ministry of Health.

 

The initial alert reported 28 cases, but later around 50 more cases were reported, and throughout the day on Saturday, the number rose to over 100. The symptoms experienced by those affected by the poisoning included vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and, in some cases, fever.

 

The condition of those affected has already been stabilised, according to the Ministry of Health, which sent medical professionals to check on them and even transferred 20 people to A&E at Santa Lucía Hospital in Cartagena, as they required further assessment.

 

The Food Safety and Zoonosis and Epidemiological Surveillance Services of the Regional Ministry of Health has launched an investigation to determine the source of the outbreak at the hotel, which is located near the Playa del Puerto Bello beach on the Mar Menor side.

 

“The clustering of cases over time, with the majority of symptoms appearing after lunch on Saturday August 23, suggests a common food-related source; and the initial microbiological results from hospitalised patients have confirmed that the causative agent is salmonella,” according to the Epidemiology Service of the Directorate-General for Public Health and Addictions.

 

Various prevention and control measures have been adopted, including the precautionary closure of the hotel kitchen, which has been ordered to undergo “thorough cleaning and disinfection” of its facilities.

 

The Ministry of Health has specified that, in order to guarantee service to guests, catering will be provided by an external catering company.

 

At present, the investigation is focusing on collecting samples of the food served and taking stool samples from food handlers to identify the exact source of the outbreak and implement definitive corrective measures.