Ice-Linked Salmonella Outbreak Traced to Beer Cooler at Illinois County Fair

An outbreak of Salmonella enterica serotype Agbeni affected 13 people across five Illinois counties who attended the Brown County Fair in late July/early August 2024, all linked to beer served from a cooler with ice that was not properly cleaned. Seven cases were laboratory-confirmed and six were probable. Investigators concluded that contaminated ice—likely from improper handling and standing meltwater in an improvised cooler—was the most plausible transmission vehicle, given no other common exposures. A single local ice vendor supplied the ice. No environmental testing of the cooler was possible. The public health response included enhanced cooler sanitation guidance, bleach-based sanitization, and tighter vendor licensing. An AI tool aided hypothesis generation but did not drive primary data collection. Limitations included reporting delays and lack of environmental confirmation.