Food Poisoning Law Blog

Norovirus sickened 65 people at a medical convention held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Oxon Hill, Maryland. Most of the individuals came down with a stomach flu, or gastroenteritis, which is caused by norovirus and can be spread through contact with contaminated people, food, or drink.

According to The New York Times,

The illnesses were first noted when officials received calls about a dozen sick people Thursday evening at Reagan National Airport. The travelers had similar symptoms, including nausea, said Rob Yingling, spokesman for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.

There were about 350 people at the conference, however only 65 reported sickness, and all but one person have been able to return to their homes.  The Prince George County Health Department is looking into what exactly caused the illness and a private company has been hired to thoroughly clean the resort.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention keep track of all outbreaks of foodborne illnesses in the country. The CDC defines an outbreak as two or more people becoming ill from the same food acquired at the same establishments. HealthInspections.com analyzed all of the outbreak information from the CDC and concluded that the five worst states in terms of number of outbreaks in 2006 are:

1. Florida- 74 outbreaks
2. California- 69 outbreaks
3. Minnesota- 55 outbreaks
4. Ohio- 54 outbreaks
5. New York- 50 outbreaks

Florida has topped the nation with number of outbreaks for the past three years. According to the data, hotels and restaurants seem to be the leading cause of outbreak in the state. One restaurant in particular, Coconuts on the Beach of a Hilton resort, was found to violate numerous health code violations. According to HealthInspections.com,

83 people got sick at the upscale Hilton resort on Singer Island near West Palm Beach. They were hit with Norovirus, a highly contagious stomach bug that causes vomiting and diarrhea.

Just two days after customers began getting sick, a health inspector cited Coconuts for allowing an employee with some type of infection to continue working. The law requires that sick food workers must be sent home.

The restaurant fared poorly on previous inspections as well, having been cited for 36 violations including employees not washing or changing dirty gloves, cleaning with dirty cloths, and dirty ice machines and soft drink nozzles. The poor record at hotels and restaurants would seem to be a serious issue for a state that depends on its tourism, but the Florida Restaurant and Hotel Association maintains that conditions are improving.

Florida, however, is not the only state with problems. California has consistently been second worse in numbers of outbreaks. San Diego County alone has seen a 43% increase in confirmed cases of restaurant food poisonings over the past three years. Minnesota has a poor record as well, leading the nation in most cases of Norovirus. Experts cite the lack of enforcement in the state and the inability of the public to access inspection reports online.

The report also designated what types of food were likely to lead to illness in each state.

Florida:          Seafood, Ethnic Foods, Lettuce-based Salads

California:      Seafood, Chicken, Ethnic Foods, Lettuce-based Salads

Minnesota:     Seafood, Lettuce-based Salads, Deli Sandwiches

Ohio:              Lettuce-based Salads, Chicken

New York:     Seafood, Lettuce-based Salads 

Overall, the problems in food safety cannot be pinpointed to a single source, but keeping states accountable for their records and informing the public of violations can help promote safer food for all.

McDonald’s in Redwood Falls has been associated with a norovirus outbreak that has 30 confirmed cases. More cases may be confirmed in the next few days. Dozens of people got sick after eating at a Burger King in Redwood Falls last month. 

Health officials are now requiring all restaurant workers in both Redwood and Renville counties to wear gloves, to prevent the continued spread of this strain of norovirus. Given the rise in foodborne illness in the state, Minnesota legislators should consider requiring all food handlers to wear gloves. 

Pritzker | Ruohonen, one of the leading food poisoning litigation law firms in the United States, has offices in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The firm is accepting norovirus cases connected to the McDonald’s norovirus outbreak and the Burger King norovirus outbreak.  To contact the firm, please call 1-888-377-8900 or 612-338-0202.

Nearly 130 people who ate at LiBerti’s Restaurant in Wantage, New Jersey, have been sickened by norovirus. Those sickened ate at the restaurant from June 2 to June 6. Health officials are looking for the source of the outbreak at the restaurant. Testing has ruled out the water at the restaurant as the source. 

Because norovirus can be transmitted by food, water, or from person to person, it is difficult to find the source of a norovirus outbreak. However, when a norovirus outbreak is linked to a restaurant the restaurant is liable for damages to those sickened. Damages can include medical expenses, loss of earnings, pain and suffering, and other compensatory losses. 

Pritzker | Ruohonen is a nationally-recognized foodborne illness litigation law firm. To contact the firm, please call toll-free at 1-888-377-8900 or submit the firm’s online consultation form.

Last week, about 300 people got gastroenteritis after eating at an Olive Garden restaurant in Indianapolis, Indiana. Pritzker | Ruohonen contacted the Marion County Health Department this morning. According to the health department spokesman, health officials reviewed stool sample tests of employees and patrons over the weekend. At this point , it looks like the pathogen responsible for the illnesses was norovirus.

At least 3 people were hospitalized during this outbreak. Norovirus can cause severe dehydration, which can lead to hospitalization. People with underlying medical conditions can also experience serious complications from a norovirus infection.

At least 600 people have now reported being sickened after eating at the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Syracuse, New York.  Health officials have ruled out bacterial food poisoning.  That means norovirus, a viral foodborne pathogen, is probably the culprit.  The cases of norovirus nationwide have soared in the last several weeks.

According to health officials, at least 71 people who dined at a Johnston, Iowa, restaurant on November 17 and 18 became ill.  The illnesses were linked to Trostel’s Greenbriar Restaurant. The symptoms, which included nausea and diarrhea, were consistent with norovirus, a highly contagious germ that often is spread through food. Investigators tested food, water and surfaces in the restaurant's kitchen and dining areas, but found nothing wrong.

The Fort Wayne-Allen County Department of Health has been investigating a food poisoning outbreak that has sickened over 100 people who ate or worked at Hall’s Tavern at Coventry, 5745 Coventry Lane, Indiana.

People are reporting vomiting and diarrhea, common food poisoning symptoms.  The relatively mild nature of this outbreak has led investigators to suspect Norovirus as the pathogen behind the outbreak.  E. coli and Salmonella have not been ruled out, however, and investigators await test results.

Many local and state health departments require that food handlers and preparers with gastroenteritis not work until 2 or 3 days after they feel better. In addition, because the virus continues to be present in the stool for as long as 2 to 3 weeks after the person feels better, strict hand washing after using the bathroom and before handling food items is important in preventing the spread of this virus. Food handlers who were recently sick can be given different duties in the restaurant so that they do not have to handle food (for example, working the cash register or hostessing).

As the Wyoming Department of Health continues investigating a gastroenteritis outbreak associated with Grace Camp, a Bible camp in Wyoming, laboratory testing has confirmed Campylobacter jejuni (campy) and norovirus infections among attendees. Testing has also confirmed fecal contamination of the facility's water supply, which is the suspected source of the outbreak.

On July 14, 2006, Sacred Heart Medical Center confirmed that 37 people have contracted Norovirus in the adult psych department at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, Washington. According to officials at Sacred Heart Medical, the Norovirus outbreak has been confined to this unit.

According to a story in the Toledo Blade, potato salad provided by Nick & Jimmy's Bar & Grill, a Toledo restaurant, is being investigated as the likely source of a Norovirus food poisoning outbreak in Bowling Green, Ohio, that sickened as many as 100 people. Nick & Jimmy's served the potato salad at a graduation party in the Bowling Green area on June 15.

In the story, Amy Jones, communicable disease nurse for the Wood County Health Department, was cited as saying that potato salad served at the party tested "fairly high for fecal coliform." Ms. Jones said the potato salad most likely was contaminated when a food service employee failed to wash his or her hands after using the restroom. What this means is that an employee's feces were in the potato salad. People who ate the potato salad also ate the employee's feces and consequently became victims of Norovirus poisoning.