Health officials close Vancouver restaurant linked to salmonella cases
VANCOUVER, Wash. – Health officials in Clark County temporarily closed a Vancouver restaurant while they investigate several salmonella cases among customers.
Clark County Public Health spokesman Don Strick said they have 11 confirmed salmonella cases and five probable cases involving patrons of On the Border Mexican Grill, located at 1505 SE 164th Ave.
Salmonella is a common bacterial infection, Strick said. People are most often infected by eating or drinking contaminated food or water. They can also get salmonella from infected people or animals.
It is typically a food-borne illness from contaminated raw poultry, eggs and unpasteurized dairy products.
“We closed the restaurant this morning as a further precaution to reduce the risk of salmonella spreading to others,” said Clark County Health Officer Dr. Alan Melnick.
He said his staff is interviewing employees and patrons to determine the outbreak's source.
"We’re also working with restaurant staff to make sure standard control measures are in place, such as sanitary surfaces and equipment, frequent hand-washing and proper food handling and storage," Melnick said. “Restaurant staff has been very cooperative.”
He said the health department will allow the restaurant to re-open once officials are convinced there is no ongoing risk.
Salmonella symptoms can include severe diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, fever, chills, abdominal discomfort and vomiting. Strick said symptoms usually appear about three days after exposure and most people can recover on their own without medication.
Health officials are testing On the Border employees for salmonella.
Anyone who ate at On the Border between Sept. 20 and Oct. 8 and is experiencing symptoms of salmonella should go to a doctor.
"We take this seriously," Melnick said. "Salmonella can be a serious illness."
Long ago in a past life I worked at the Rusty Mill, and when I was washing dishes things were spotless in the kitchen area. Â I slaved daily to do the work, and it was very clean. I'd have to correct what was done when I was gone every single time. So, a contributing factor is, do these people give a dang about how clean their workplace is? Â The answer is, no, not at all. Â They just want the Yanqui's dinero.
A friend once told me of her brief employment with the Taco Time on 82nd down toward Clackamas. She said it was so wretchedly filthy, the rat turds sometimes got mixed in the with taco meat, and you'd just have to turn a blind eye and roll up the tortilla. There were also heroin needles in the bathroom. Not sure if that location is still open, but I would advise you to refrain from every paying them a visit when your stomach is in the mood for a fiesta. Want Mexican food? Go buy the ingredients and make it yourself. Tastes better...oh, and you won't die.
If you think a place is dirty or suspect they would not pass an inspection you can always contact dirty dining and they will check the place out for you. Â When we try a new place I always go there to see if they are on the list of places not to eat.
Chef Ramsey would be flaming mad as heck!
 @Deep_Green Chef Ramsey does so many things that violate health code on his own damn show that he's single-handedly doing more than any other person in the country to make eating out more dangerous.
 @starshadow  @Deep_Green I am curious to know what violations you are referring to? If you ever watch "Kitchen Nightmares" you should see some of the food that the restaurants were serving before he showed up!
Closing restaurants for health code violations should happen more often! I'm sure not all restaurants are as clean as we would like them to be! If no one spotlights them, they will continue serving less than healthy food, in less than healthy places, prepared in less than healthy kitchens, by unmentionable cooks not following proper sanitary standards. I prefer to eat at home where I know who made it and how, me!
Anyone who ate between September 20 and October 8 should be expanded to,"Anyone who ate there since grand opening." Had their poison on 164th earlier in the year, near death followed in the afternoon, took 4 days to fully recover. Would prefer to eat in the Pig-Pen with the Prodigal Son that step foot on this filth stain. *future articles on the following will test the constitution of any patron's threshold of life/death: Jerusalem Café, Brother's Burgers, Muchas Gracias, Taco Time, Big Al's, Sushi World.
"Salmonella symptoms can include severe diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, fever, chills, abdominal discomfort and vomiting. Strick said symptoms usually appear about three days after exposure..."Â Three days? How do you explain the movie 'Airplane'? Those people developed symptoms a lot faster than three days. Surely this cannot be correct...
 @HenryBowman That's funny,...Jim never vomits at home....
 @HenryBowman It is correct and stop calling me Shirley. :)
 @shek069 Nice to see that there are still people who appreciate refined humor.
 @HenryBowman Yep....looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue....
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Love that kind of humor.
Well, knock me over with a feather!
I always thought that was part of eating at a Mexican restaurant.
Huh. The things you learn online...
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 @Tom dogboy Collins I got green roast beef at a Big Town Hero one time.
It was all shiny, kinda like a mallard duck's head feathers.
 @Mikey  @Tom dogboy Collins I got some bad news for ya, bud. The only thing different about that roast beef and the other, red roast beef you've had there is that the red has been COLORED with food coloring.
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A lot of meat you buy has red food coloring in it, because it is actually a greenish color.
@Mikey @Tom dogboy Collins But did you eat it Mikey?
 @jpk  Mikey will eat anything (or so I'm told).
 @Tom dogboy Collins @Mikey  That is referred to as 'Today's Special'.