A MAN says he is still seriously ill 16 months after eating a dodgy kebab.
John Inglesby, 76, was stricken with severe diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain and sweating after munching on chicken and salad last year.
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A stool sample confirmed he was one of more than 50 customers who contracted shigella bacteria from Marmaris Kebab House in Abergavenny, Wales.
The intestinal infection is highly contagious and spreads when a person ingests a small amount of the feces of someone infected.
Someone can contract shigella if they eat food prepared by someone who has it and don’t wash their hands, for example.
The outbreak happened in February 2023 when customers ate contaminated takeout food.
More than 50 people fell ill with symptoms of food poisoning; 11 were hospitalized.
Owners Sami Abdullah and Hassan Saritag pleaded guilty to placing unsafe food on the market, failing to implement food safety procedures and failing to register new owners with the company last month.
John visited the kebab shop on February 10, 2023, after returning to work following the death of his wife.
He was prescribed a course of antibiotics to help his recovery, but a year later he says he still suffers from ongoing gastric complications.
John, who has now taken legal action, said: “When I returned to work I was still struggling with the pain and decided to visit my usual kebab shop.
“I’m not one for stomach aches, so when I started feeling sick, I knew something wasn’t right.
“It got worse very quickly and before long I was in and out of the bathroom every 10 minutes.
“It got so bad that I had to see the doctor and at that point they told me I had an infection.”
At first he “couldn’t put the pieces together”, but claims he soon learned that other people had become ill after visiting the kebab shop.
“To this day, I’m still not sure,” John added.
“It’s truly horrific how many people have been affected and something needs to be done to stop this from happening again.”
‘LESSONS MUST BE LEARNED’
Sarita Sharma, a specialist public health lawyer at Irwin Mitchell who represents John, said the effects of the disease should not be underestimated.
“The first-hand account we heard from John about his symptoms is deeply worrying, and to learn that more than 50 people were unwell after eating at the kebab house is shocking,” she said.
“Shigella is a highly contagious infection that causes gastrointestinal illness, the effects of which should never be underestimated as it can, in some cases, like John’s, lead to long-term health problems.
“John’s story is likely to be typical of others reported to Public Health Wales and, following the guilty pleas, it is vital that lessons are learned in the future to keep customers safe.”
Abdullah and Saritag will be sentenced at Newport Magistrates Court in September.
This followed a case brought by Monmouthshire County Council and Public Health Wales, which outlined a link between the store’s food and cases of shigella.
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Foods Most Likely to Trigger Food Poisoning
MOST foods have the ability to make us sick, but some are much more likely to do so than others.
According to Health LineThe most common culprits are:
- Raw or undercooked poultry (e.g. chicken, duck and turkey)
- Vegetables and leafy greens (e.g. lettuce, spinach and celery)
- Fish and shellfish (e.g. clams, mussels and scallops)
- Rice (if left at room temperature)
- Deli meats (e.g. ham, bacon and salami)
- Unpasteurized dairy products
- Raw or undercooked egg
- Fruit (e.g. pre-prepared fruit salads, berries and melon)
- Raw sprouts (e.g. mung beans, lucerne and clover)
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
