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Prosecutors Probe Mass Foodborne Illness That Sickened 33 Hospital Staff in Cusco

Laboratory tests on the lunch menu aim to pinpoint the cause, guiding accountability.

Overview

  • Hospital leaders confirmed 33 staff members fell ill after the institutional meal, with most stabilized or discharged and a small number remaining under observation, including two reported in serious condition.
  • SAMU and Firefighters evacuated workers to the Adolfo Guevara Velasco Hospital of EsSalud, with about 21 transferred there and several others kept at the Regional Hospital for continued care.
  • The Ministerio Público and National Police opened a formal investigation and collected samples of the menu that included jurel, potatoes, salad, soup, and beverages for bromatological analysis.
  • Geresa’s Environmental Health team audited kitchen hygiene and collected food and water samples as the hospital reviews its nutrition service and considers temporary measures pending results.
  • Officials noted the unusual pattern in which only a subset of roughly 250 staff rations—out of up to 800 prepared—produced illness, while inpatients on fish-free diets were not affected.