A Seventh-day Adventist youth congress made major media headlines in the Adriatic coast region, but in an unexpected fashion. A salmonella outbreak caused by poor sanitation at a hotel affected nearly 100 youth at the event.

Initially, officials at the Solaris hotel complex denied responsibility, claiming that the disease existed only among the Adventist guests. Some local media reported the hotel management’s comments to make it appear that the Adventists brought the infection to the hotel. The outbreak became a matter of major concern in Croatia, since the tourist season is just beginning there. Government officials in the country were seriously concerned that such an incident could jeopardize the whole tourist season, according to media reports.

After results from the state health laboratory were released and the cause of the disease was concluded to be a food-borne salmonella infection, the hotel owner agreed to negotiate with congress officials. He also agreed to pay for all inconveniences caused by the infection.

The Adriatic Union Youth Congress, which ran from April 30 to May 4, hosted 350 young Seventh-day Adventists from Croatia, Slovenia, Albania, Serbia and Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria, Germany and Australia. The theme was “Jesus and I Online,” and Paul Tompkins, Seventh-day Adventist Trans-European region youth director, was the main speaker.

Adventist youth spent time together singing, reporting what they do in their churches, playing sports, and attending seminars and workshops. They also worked on reconstructing and cleaning the city bay and doing outreach in the city.

A group of youth from Serbia and Montenegro attended the congress, which was the first time in 13 years that young Adventists from various countries of the former Yugoslavia have come together in larger numbers.

“It was tremendous to fellowship with the many young people from Albania, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro and Slovenia who were at the congress. I will long remember the ‘online’ prayer sessions that we had after the worship meetings,” Tompkins said.