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Costa Rica’s Ministry of Health has reported 66 illnesses associated with a Salmonella outbreak at Hospital CIMA in Escazú. Two cases have been confirmed by laboratory testing and two patients were hospitalized; officials have not identified the source or confirmed a route of transmission.
Costa Rica’s Ministry of Health has reported 66 illnesses in a Salmonella outbreak connected to Hospital CIMA in Escazú, according to a U.S. Embassy alert published October 29. Two cases have been confirmed by laboratory testing, and two patients have been hospitalized; authorities have not identified the source of contamination or how the infection spread.
The outbreak report lists 66 cases, but says only two have been confirmed in laboratory testing. Salmonella was identified in those confirmed cases. The available information does not say how many of the other reported illnesses have been tested or how the cases were counted.
Reported symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, fever and general malaise. Two patients were hospitalized. The report does not provide their ages, current conditions, or whether they were admitted because of the infection.
The Ministry of Health is working to identify shared exposures and determine the possible mode of transmission. The report says illnesses have been reported among hospital workers, but it does not specify whether patients, visitors, or other groups are also among those affected. No particular food has been identified as the cause.
Health Advice for Hospital Visitors
The reported illnesses have prompted the U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica to issue a health alert and advise its personnel to consider alternative locations for medical care until the outbreak is resolved. That guidance signals a precaution for embassy staff; the available report does not say that Hospital CIMA has closed or that the embassy has directed all visitors to avoid it.
For patients and workers, the unresolved source matters because investigators have not established whether exposure is linked to food, contact between people, or another route. Until authorities identify a common exposure, the report recommends general steps to reduce infection risk, including washing hands with soap and water and keeping raw and cooked foods separate.
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The Costa Rican Ministry of Health is investigating the outbreak at Hospital CIMA in Escazú. The report does not give a date when the first illnesses began, a timeline for the investigation, or details on whether the cases are connected to a particular hospital service or location.
In a separate event in early September, officials in Mexico confirmed 135 people became ill in an outbreak at Hospital General de México Dr. Eduardo Liceaga. That outbreak was linked to food supplied by the hospital’s outsourced catering service, according to the source report. The Mexican incident is separate from the Costa Rican outbreak; no evidence in the report connects the two.
The Mexican hospital suspended its outsourced dining service and opened an investigation. The comparison provides recent regional context, but it does not establish that food or catering is involved at Hospital CIMA.
“The embassy advised its personnel to consider alternative locations for medical care until the outbreak has been resolved.”
— U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica
Source and Transmission Remain Unknown
The central unanswered questions are where exposure occurred and how Salmonella spread. Authorities have not identified a specific food or confirmed contamination in any hospital facility, meal, or service. The report also does not state whether investigators have identified a common meal, work area, or other exposure among those who became ill.
The figures need to be read with their stated limits: 66 illnesses were reported, while two were confirmed by laboratory testing. The source report does not provide a case definition, the period covered by the count, or the number of people tested. It also does not give details about the hospitalized patients or say when additional results may be available.
Health Officials Continue Exposure Tracing
Costa Rica’s Ministry of Health is continuing efforts to identify common exposures and determine the transmission route. The report gives no timetable for completing the investigation and does not describe specific control measures at Hospital CIMA. Further updates may clarify whether additional cases are laboratory-confirmed and whether investigators find a shared source.
The embassy’s advice is to consider other medical-care locations until the outbreak is resolved. It also recommends consistent handwashing with soap and water, particularly after using the restroom and before preparing or eating food. Other precautions in the alert include washing produce, refrigerating perishable foods promptly, cooking eggs, poultry and meat thoroughly, and keeping raw foods separate from cooked foods. People with gastrointestinal symptoms should not prepare food for others while they are ill.
Key Questions
How many people have been reported sick in Costa Rica?
Sixty-six cases have been reported in connection with the Hospital CIMA outbreak. Two have been confirmed by laboratory testing, according to the source report.
Has the source of the Salmonella outbreak been identified?
No. Costa Rica’s Ministry of Health is investigating possible shared exposures, but no specific food or source of contamination has been identified.
How many people have been hospitalized?
The report says two patients have been hospitalized. It does not provide their ages or current conditions.
What symptoms have been reported?
Reported symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, fever and general malaise.
What precautions have officials advised?
The embassy alert recommends regular handwashing, separating raw and cooked foods, thoroughly cooking eggs, poultry and meat, and refrigerating perishable foods promptly. People with gastrointestinal illness should not prepare food for others while symptomatic.
Source: foodsafetynews.com
