Providence County Man Who Tested Positive for Salmonella Has Died—Updated

A elderly Providence County man who tested positive for salmonella has died, according to state health officials. 

A total of 39 people have now gotten sick in what is believed to be an outbreak of salmonella, Health Department spokeswoman Annemarie Beardsworth said Tuesday.

Twenty-four people have been hospitalized, and 11 of those people remain in the hospital, she said. Twenty-one people have tested positive for salmonella, though not all the same strain, she said.

She would not say whether the man lived in East Providence. Symptoms of the foodborne illness include vomiting and diarrhea, but reactions can be more severe in vulnerable populations, such as the elderly.

State health officials have been investigating baked goods that originated at DeFusco's Bakery in Johnston. Crugnale Bakery in Rumford was one of the many bakeries around the state that received products in March from the bakery. 

Also, health officials have said zeppole from DeFusco's were served at a catered event at Crescent Park Manor in Riverside around March 17.

Peggy Arnold, who lives in the apartment complex, said more than 50 people attended a St. Patrick's Day celebration in the community room there on March 17.

Zeppoles were served at the event, which was held by the company that owns the complex, she said.

"They weren't very good, to be honest with you," Arnold said. She said she ate one, and likened the taste to "instant pudding."

But she said there wasn't any food left on the table at the end of the event, so she thought the zeppoles got eaten.

She hadn't heard anything about anyone at the complex getting sick from the zeppoles, however, she said.

"The flu or anything that goes on around here, we all know about," she said.

Note: The story has been updated to reflect a longer time span state health officials are looking at for when baked goods were distributed.