Dozens more people have come down with suspected food poisoning after eating cream-filled pastries in Macedonia, health officials said Thursday, bringing the total number to 339.
Most of the people affected have been Muslims celebrating the holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan fasting. All are believed to have eaten pastries from one shop in Skopje's Old Bazaar district, the capital's old Ottoman quarter.
Ivan Vidinic, a doctor at Skopje's Clinic for Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases, said Thursday that 82 people had sought help for suspected food poisoning at the clinic in the last 24 hours, and that 13 of them were hospitalized with severe symptoms. The clinic is now caring for a total of 64 people who have been admitted with suspected salmonella poisoning.
"The new arrived patients were displaying the same symptoms of intestinal disease, probably salmonella poisoning, including vomiting, diarrhea and high fever," Vidinic said.
He said health officials were awaiting the results of laboratory tests to determine exactly what had sickened the patients.
Health Minister Bujar Osmani said authorities had inspected 137 pastry shops across the country and shut down 40 of them for failing to maintain hygiene standards.
"Sanitary inspectors will continue with controls and we expect to have more pastry shops shut down because of poor hygiene," Osmani said.
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