Collin County health officials have confirmed an employee at a McKinney restaurant contracted typhoid fever, according to a county news statement released Sept. 20.
Anyone who ate at Hat Creek Burger Co., located at 3321 S. Custer Road, between Aug. 18-22 may be at risk, according to the statement.
The case comes from a Hat Creek employee who was confirmed to have the illness, Hat Creek spokesperson Pam Ritz said.
Typhoid fever is caused by salmonella serotype typhi bacteria, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to the county, it is confirmed to be a travel-related and extensively drug-resistant case.
The county is urging anyone who thinks they may have been exposed to the bacteria to consult their health care provider.
The salmonella typhi bacteria is spread through an infected person’s stool when the bacteria comes in contact with objects, food or water that are put into someone else’s mouth, said the statement.
Symptoms can begin in as little as three days or as long as 60 days, with an average range of eight to 14 days after exposure, according to the county statement.
Symptoms of salmonella typhi include a fever up to 102-104 degrees, feelings of weakness, stomach pains, headache, diarrhea, loss of appetite and constipation or diarrhea, according to the statement. Patients may also get a rash of flat, rose-colored spots.
According to the county, the most important way to prevent the spread of this illness is through hand-washing, especially after using the restroom and before preparing food or eating.
“When we see diseases like this that have been virtually eradicated in the United States and then we have people that travel, and they come back in … it does generate concern in the public. But if we are all doing our job right, there should be no other cases,” Ritz said.
Hat Creek Burger Co. is urging anyone with questions or concerns to call its customer care line at 888-648-1613.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify that the employee had typhoid fever.
