Health District warns about handling food in summer

Stephen Curran

Monday, June 27, 2005 | 11:06 a.m.

It's no surprise that summer temperatures bring barbecues, family get-togethers and, perhaps most importantly, enough food cause many experienced connoisseurs to break into a cold sweat.

But the Clark County Health District is reminding residents that, if prepared by an unlicensed caterer, these affairs can cause more than an expanding waistline.

For at least 20 people who attended a Las Vegas family reunion last month, it meant a lingering gastrointestinal illness that Health District officials think was caused by tacos prepared by a company that lacked the equipment and licenses to cook for that many people, officials said.

Dan Maxson, an environmental engineer for the Health District, said the prolonged -- but fairly minor -- cases of diarrhea came from Clostridium perfringens, a soil-borne bacterium, and Bacillius Cereus, a bug found in grain products.

Health officials haven't pinpointed how the bacteria was transmitted, but believe the food was undercooked.

"It's a mild illness," he said. "But when the whole family has diarrhea you know it."

The illness, however, was severe enough that several out-of-town relatives who attended the party had to stay an extra few days, Maxson said.

Of the 62 complaints this year, few result in outbreaks such as those at the gathering.

The 20 people who became ill at the one event prompted the Health District to launch a media campaign warning people of the danger in hiring unlicensed vendors.

It differs from the highly publicized Norovirus outbreak at the Flamingo hotel late last year that infected more than 1,600 tourists and employees. That disease, which manifests symptoms similar to the two bacterial illnesses, differs in that it is most often spread from person-to-person instead of through food.

An exact cause for that outbreak was never determined, although Health District officials believe it was spread in a crowded area, spokesman Dave Tonelli said.

The company in the recent event, Grecias Jumper, had a lapsed Las Vegas City license to rent party equipment and did not have any of the necessary permits to prepare food, Maxson said.

Calls to company owner Tranh Sheffer were not returned Friday.

The woman who hired the company, Las Vegas resident Olga Nexia, did not respond to messages left at her home Thursday and Friday.

According to city records, Grecias Jumper was issued a business license for the party equipment outfit in 2001, but let it lapse. Maxson said the company was issued a "Cease and Desist" order warning it not to serve food again, but no citations or charges were filed.

It was the company's first violation. Additional violations could lead to charges by local police, Maxson said.

So far this year, the Health District has responded to 62 complaints of unlicensed food vendors, most stemming from people illegally selling fruit from their cars, he said. That means this year will almost certainly be on par with the 71 complaints last year, Maxson said. About 140 were reported in 2003.

The Health District urges those considering hiring a catering company to make sure it holds a valid health permit, which means it has a commercial-style kitchen governed by strict codes that dictate the kitchen and equipment be kept clean, Maxson said.

Among other precautions, the Health District requires anyone working for a catering company be vaccinated against Hepatitis A, which is highly contagious.