After initiating an investigation last week, the L.A. County Department of Public Health confirmed that 20 cases of salmonella have been linked to a Mexican restaurant in Valencia as of Monday afternoon.  The investigation began following a number of reports of people experiencing symptoms of food poisoning after dining at Madre Oaxacan Restaurant & Mezcaleria between Sept. 12 and 14.  According to Ivan Vasquez, owner of the restaurant, a health inspector is coming Tuesday morning to do a check-in. If all goes well, the restaurant could reopen as soon as Wednesday evening.  Vasquez is waiting for a new supply of food to be delivered after what he had prior to closing Wednesday last week has now expired, he said in a phone interview Monday afternoon.  All cooks and other kitchen staff were tested for salmonella, as required by Public Health, with two employees quitting after refusing to take the tests, Vasquez said.   He said servers and other wait staff were not tested, per Public Health, which he thinks doesn’t make sense as every restaurant employee interacts with customers and their dishes in some manner.  Vasquez said he is ordering the rest of his employees to get tested before he reopens.  “Most important is the health and safety of others and my team members before we reopen,” Vasquez said. “I want to make sure nobody has symptoms for the last 48 hours, even if they are cleared.”  Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital officials confirmed that an uptick was seen in people complaining of symptoms of food poisoning between Sept. 13 and 14.  According to Public Health, symptoms of salmonella include: Diarrhea, body aches, fever, abdominal pain, nausea and headache. The symptoms are typically mild, according to Public Health, but can be serious in infants, younger children, older people and those with preexisting health conditions.  Salmonella can be contracted by drinking or eating contaminated foods or coming into contact with people or animals that are sick with salmonella, according to Public Health. Foods that get contaminated with salmonella usually come from animals (beef, poultry, raw milk, or eggs), but any food can become infected with salmonella.   Symptoms typically begin six hours to six days after infection and can last anywhere from four to seven days, according to information available on the Centers for Disease Control website. Most people recover without specific treatment and should not take antibiotics unless there is a case of severe illness or if you are at risk, the site states.  Public Health provided the following tips to reduce the spread of salmonella:   • Wash your hands after you use the bathroom or change a diaper.   • Wash all fruits and vegetables before eating them.   • Wrap fresh meats, poultry, and seafood in plastic bags at the market to prevent their liquids from dripping on other foods.   • Use a meat thermometer to check the inside temperature of meats to make sure they are fully cooked.   • Immediately wash cutting boards and counters used to prepare raw foods to avoid spreading the germs to other foods.   • Avoid eating raw eggs and foods that contain uncooked eggs (i.e. cookie dough, homemade ice cream, tiramisu, eggnog).   • If you have salmonella, don’t prepare food for others until your diarrhea has stopped.   A survey was sent out by Public Health as part of the investigation to “determine the nature and extent of this incident.” The survey can be found at tinyurl.com/2p9zvahs and any questions can be directed to the food safety unit at the acute communicable disease control division at 213-240-7941.   Vasquez has other locations in West Hollywood, Torrance and Culver City, but he said there have been no reports of issues at any of them.  The post Public Health: 20 cases of salmonella linked to Valencia restaurant  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.