The City of Tahoka has reported that there have been at least 30 cases of Salmonella within the city. The City of Tahoka's Facebook page did reassure many Tahoka residents that officials were doing everything within their capabilities to start ruling out certain factors.
One concern was that the water had been contaminated somehow but the city put those rumors to rest. On the social media post, that addressed the Salmonella outbreak, was attached pictures of the city Water Bacteriology Report stating that there was no indication of Salmonella in the water. Tahoka officials did reveal that the water is treated with chlorine and the levels of chlorination are checked on a daily basis.
There has not been any identification of what kind of strain the Salmonella currently is. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) differentiates the different types of Salmonella spread from food, water, certain lizards, turtles, and poultry, Salmonella Typhi and Salmonella Paratyphi excluded. Symptoms from Salmonella can take six hours or six days after coming into contact with anything infected with the bacteria. Symptoms such as fever, stomach cramps, and even diarrhea can manifest and can last up to a week. Antibiotics are mostly used for severe cases and in some cases the infection may be so severe that those infected may have to hospitalized.
As of the publishing of this article there is still currently no word as to the origin of the outbreak but Tahoka officials think it might have originated at an event due to the large quantities of infected people. Anyone with the aforementioned symptoms or who thinks they have the stomach flu are urged to seek medical attention. The investigation into this small community outbreak is ongoing.