About 120 Sick, 30 Hospitalized After Mass Illness at Tennessee Walmart Distribution Center

Image Credit: WKRN / YouTube. About 120 people became sick during a mass illness incident at a Walmart distribution center in Lebanon, Tennessee, with roughly 30 requiring hospitalization, according to local reporting citing Wilson County emergency officials.

The illnesses developed from late Thursday night into Friday morning, with nausea and vomiting among the symptoms reported. WKRN reported that the Wilson County Emergency Management Agency provided the figures.

Food poisoning is suspected, but officials have not confirmed what caused the illnesses. No particular food, meal or source has publicly been identified as responsible.

As of Sunday, there also appears to be no public statement from WCEMA or the Tennessee Department of Health about the incident. WKRN reported that Wilson County and Lebanon officials did not respond to the station’s requests for additional information Sunday.

Embedded media follows; please allow a moment to load.

The television station reported that approximately 30 of the roughly 120 people who became sick were hospitalized for nausea and vomiting.

The incident occurred at Walmart’s distribution operation in Lebanon, a city east of Nashville in Wilson County. The Wilson County Emergency Management Agency provides emergency medical, fire, and emergency management services in the county.

The available reporting does not establish whether all of those affected were Walmart employees or whether other workers or visitors were among the patients.

It also remains unclear whether everyone who became ill had eaten the same food, whether a particular meal or vendor is being examined, or whether testing has identified a pathogen or another cause.

Although food poisoning is one possibility, the cause remained unconfirmed as of Sunday.

That distinction is significant in an incident involving a large number of people becoming sick over a relatively short period. Symptoms such as nausea and vomiting can have multiple causes, and identifying a foodborne outbreak can require interviews, laboratory testing and comparisons between what affected people ate or were exposed to.

No public advisory or incident-specific announcement from Tennessee health officials had surfaced as of publication, and WCEMA’s website did not contain a public statement detailing the incident.

For now, the publicly reported numbers — approximately 120 people sick and 30 hospitalized — come from WKRN’s reporting attributed to Wilson County emergency officials.

Olivia Richman has been a journalist for 10 years, specializing in esports, games, cars, and all things tech. When she isn’t writing nerdy stuff, Olivia is taking her cars to the track, eating pho, and playing the Pokemon TCG.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.