As of Wednesday, June 24, 2015 more than 100 individuals from at least seven North Carolina counties and six other states have been identified with signs and symptoms consistent with salmonellosis such as diarrhea, stomach pain, fever, nausea, and sometimes vomiting. All consumed food from the same establishment, Tarheel Q located on Highway 64 in Lexington, N.C., several days before becoming ill. At least seven of the identified individuals have been hospitalized due to their illness.

“In conjunction with other county and state health departments, we continue to identify and interview other ill people in an attempt to determine the scope of the outbreak and the source of the infection,” said Monecia Thomas, Director of the Davidson County Health Department.

The majority of the cases have occurred among residents of Davidson County. We are asking anyone who became ill with diarrhea within four days after they ate food or drank beverages from Tarheel Q (6835 West US Hwy 64, Lexington, NC) on or after Saturday, June 6th to call the Davidson County Health Department’s hotline for calls at 336-236-3096. Please call between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Collecting this information is important to help officials determine the size and scope of the outbreak.

“We want these people to call the health department even if they have recovered so we can ask them questions related to their food history in hopes of identifying the source of the contamination,” Thomas said.

At this time, the restaurant has voluntarily closed through June 28th. Food purchased from the restaurant and taken home from June 6 to June 19, 2015 should not be consumed by people or animals. Please discard any leftovers.

People who are ill or experiencing symptoms should drink sufficient fluids to stay well hydrated, and should seek medical care from their private doctor, urgent care or emergency room if their diarrhea and/or vomiting do not improve.