A suspected food poisoning outbreak in Jessup, Maryland, has led to the hospitalization of dozens of people, according to local authorities.
By Tuesday, the number of affected individuals had risen: "46 total patients were transported to the hospital. All patients were non-critical," the Howard County Fire and EMS reported in an update.
Multiple agencies responded to the incident, according to the Howard County Fire and EMS, and "mutual aid was provided by Anne Arundel and Baltimore Counties."
On Tuesday, the department reported that "preliminary indications are that the illness is related to outside food prepared by an employee and shared with others at the facility."
A spokesperson for the health department didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment by NTD News when asked where the contaminated food was purchased.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, food poisoning, also called foodborne illness, is in most cases the result of bacteria, toxins, parasites, viruses, or chemicals that have contaminated food. The agency said about 48 million cases occur in the United States every year, which is about one in every six people, resulting in an estimated 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths, making the American food supply one of the safest in the world.
When an outbreak occurs, the FDA works with local and state partners and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop the spread and identify the source of the poisoning.