Three people living at a home in Holon for Israelis with special needs died Monday of suspected food poisoning, according to reports in Hebrew-language media.
The deaths are under investigation by Israel’s Health Ministry and the Social Welfare Ministry, which has closed the kitchen at Beit Dafna. Tests for contamination are being carried out.
Initial results indicated the E. Coli bacterium (Escherichia coli) was discovered in the kitchen.
Some strains of these bacteria normally live in the intestines of healthy people and are harmless, but a few strains can cause severe symptoms.
According to a report by Israel’s Channel 13 News, some of the residents in the home began to feel unwell and suffered digestive disturbances on Saturday night and into early Sunday.
One of the residents who had a complex medical background lost consciousness. An emergency medical team from Magen David Adom (MDA) was called to the scene together with police, but resuscitation attempts failed, and her death was declared.
Two of the six additional residents who were taken to Wolfson Medical Center also died, both suffering from serious pre-existing medical conditions.
The other four patients remain hospitalized and are currently listed in stable condition.
“From the moment of receiving the initial notification in connection with the incident, our personnel have been working in cooperation and coordination with the professionals of the Ministries of Health and Social Welfare to determine the cause of this unfortunate event. The investigation is being conducted with full transparency and cooperation with all required professionals,” said a statement from Beit Dafna.
Initial findings of the probe indicate there were severe defects in the kitchen, according to Channel 13 News, along with sanitation issues such as uncollected bags of discarded food and clothing found at the back entrance to the residence.
Families of the residents who arrived at the scene and employees on site all told reporters they were asked not to speak with journalists.
Beit Dafna claimed, however, that “no such official directive was issued, and there is no prohibition for parents of the residents to visit the site.”
