One Dead, 23 Sick From Botulism Outbreak at Ohio Church Potluck

One person is dead and 23 others sick after a severe botulism outbreak that reportedly originated from a church potluck in Ohio.

Health officials in central Ohio have traced the recent botulism outbreak to this past Sunday at Cross Pointe Free Will Baptist Church in Lancaster, where as many as 60 churchgoers attended a potluck.

While authorities are still investigating which food provided at the potluck is responsible for the recent botulism outbreak, they are suggesting that it likely came from a canned good.

Those who were made ill by the food have been admitted to hospitals around the Lancaster area. One 54-year-old woman died from consuming the tainted food, although health officials have stressed that death is rare in this case.

"In this day and age, botulism from food is fairly rare. Generally it's canned foods," Dr. Andrew Murry of Fairfield Medical Center told CNN in a recent interview. "The fatality rate is usually fairly low."

Jennifer Valentine, spokeswoman for the Fairfield County Department of Health, recently told the Lancaster-Eagle Gazette that officials are trying to interview attendees of the potluck to determine which dish the botulism originated from.

"We've been interviewing patients and family members who were at the event," Valentine said. "We're trying to narrow down the sources of the food and send samples our for testing. There are about 20 things on the list we're looking at."

Officials are also reportedly attempting to dispose of any leftovers from the potluck to ensure no one else gets sick from the tainted food.