Salmonella Outbreak Gets Archdiocese of Amarillo, Church Sued

Of all the foodborne illnesses that are out there, salmonella is one of the ones that scares me the most.

And if you went to a certain event recently in Amarillo, you were exposed to one of my greatest fears.

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On March 27th, St. Joseph Catholic Church held an enchilada dinner fundraiser. All profits were to go towards the parish there.

Unfortunately, it looks like those profits may now be going towards legal fees.

A lawsuit has been filed against the church and the Archdiocese of Amarillo after over 100 people fell ill due to salmonella poisoning. One of those victims sadly passed away from the illness.

As the church was made aware of people falling ill, they posted a notice letting people know that people had been becoming ill after consuming the enchilada dinner. They said they had narrowed it down to the beans and asked people to not consume them.

After testing, it was found that the beans AND the rice had been contaminated with salmonella.

So how does something like rice and beans pick up the pathogen? Salmonella is typically transmitted to humans by eating undercooked meats like chicken and poultry, but that isn't what happened here.

Another way it can be picked up by humans is by eating foods that have been contaminated by animal feces.

Now we don't know at this time how the rice and beans became contaminated, but it IS possible that with bugs, flies, birds, etc. floating around so much this time of year that they "did their business" while either landing on the food or flying over, and it was not seen.

Again, everything is pure speculation at this point and the lawsuits are currently pending. The church has stated that those with medical bills pertaining to the event can bring them in and they are working on setting up a fund to help those with expenses.

Teeny Tiny Towns of the Texas Panhandle

Don't blink! You just might miss these TINY towns that are dotted around the Texas Panhandle.

Some of these are unincorporated communities and some of these are just plain ol' small!

Either way, these teensy weensy tiny towns and their populations will make you say "wow" (and maybe even squint and say "that's all!?"). Check them out:

The Abandoned St. Anthony's Hospital on Amarillo Boulevard

The 119-year-old abandoned hospital is a fascinating place for any who are lucky enough to be granted the chance to explore.

The sprawling building saw thousands of Amarillo's citizens inside its halls daily, all the the way until it was shuttered in 2001. But there are still incredible artifacts of the all-too-recent past tucked away in the nooks and crannies of the old St. Anthony.

The explorer who took these photographs gave the following information:

"Many rooms were left untouched, we found patient files, old prescriptions, a blood transfusion machine from the 60s, and microscopic slides of breast cancer from the 70s and 80s. I put one picture in here of some heart scans so you can see the dates and diagnosis of the patient, but marked out the patient’s names of course. During a time when mental illness was not understood, 76 exorcisms were documented to have been performed between 1909 and 1931."

Take a look inside the halls of the legendary abandoned St. Anthony's hospital

Source: Salmonella Outbreak Gets Archdiocese of Amarillo, Church Sued