Norovirus and La Fiesta Restaurant in Troy, Ohio
Pritzker | Ruohonen, one of the leading food poisoning litigation law firms in the United States, is investigating a Norovirus outbreak traced to La Fiesta Restaurant in Troy, Ohio. According to Chris Cook, R.S., of the Miami County Health District, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) tested stool samples obtained from people who reported becoming ill with diarrhea, vomiting, and other flu-like symptoms after eating at La Fiesta Restaurant on June 23 and 24, 2006. Norovirus was confirmed.
The ODH also tested 5 samples of leftover food eaten by victims of the Norovirus outbreak at La Riesta Restaurant. These tested positive for fecal contamination. "Noroviruses are a group of viruses that cause gastroenteritis, or 'stomach flu,' in people," Cook said. "The virus is typically spread through food or water by a sick person who does not wash their hands well after using the restroom."
"We have two pieces of evidence to look at now - the confirmation of a Norovirus outbreak and the fecal contamination of the food samples. The most likely scenario was that there was a sick food worker who may or may not have been experiencing symptoms of the illness. The worker did not practice good hand washing and then went on to prepare food," Cook said. "The most effective way to stop the spread of illnesses is frequent hand washing. Period."
Pritzker | Ruohonen has collected millions of dollars on behalf of food poisoning victims. To contact Pritzker | Ruohonen, call toll-free at 1-888-377-8900 or e-mail fhp@pritzkerlaw.com.
