56 Afghan refugees sick from suspected food poisoning at Arizona hotel, officials say

Fifty-six Afghan refugees were treated for suspected food poisoning — including six who were hospitalized — after attending a catered lunch at a Tucson hotel, local outlets reported.

Pima County Health Department Director Dr. Theresa Cullen told 12 News that patients reported vomiting. The situation is still under investigation, but officials suspect that food poisoning is the culprit, Cullen said.

The refugees were staying at a Red Roof Inn in Tucson. The hotel said in a statement that the group had attended a catered lunch on Nov. 22 hosted by the International Rescue Committee, a humanitarian organization that works with refugees, KGUN reported.

“The Pima County Health Department responded, and hotel management closed the lobby out of an abundance of caution, but the hotel and other guests were not evacuated or affected,” the hotel said in the statement. “As of today, we have been told that all those affected are fine and doing well.”

The county health department received reports of the illness at around 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 22. Most people were treated on the scene by the fire department, but six were hospitalized, Cullen told The Associated Press.

The fire department treated patients with IVs and medication. The county, state, and hotel management are investigating the incident. All of the patients were recovering by Tuesday, Nov. 23, KOLD reported.

In September, the U.S. Department of State told the Arizona Refugee Resettlement Program that 1,610 Afghan refugees would be resettled in the state, making it the fifth largest number of refugees resettled in one state out of the initial group of 37,000 resettled in the U.S. this year, KTAR reported.