This week’s Food Safety Infosheet from the International Food Safety Network gives us some good information about Norovirus, a common foodborne illness:
More than 100 people reported getting sick after attending a conference at the Hilton Chicago hotel in July. Health officials say the kitchens at the hotel passed an inspection and hotel employees
The Wilson Daily printed an article about Norovirus that was written by a local physicaian, Dawn Brezina. In the article, she discusses Norovirus in general, the symptoms of Norovirus infection, and what you can do to prevent Norovirus from spreading:
Individuals who are sick or recovering should not fix food for other family members for
The Associated Press reports that a new law packing a $1,000 fine for anyone operating a for-profit food business without a license comes only weeks after a Stoneville caterer was granted a state permit soon after it served a luncheon in which dozens became ill.
The Clarion-Ledger, a Jackson newspaper, reported on the Greenville illnesses Monday as part of a series examining the Mississippi Department of Health. The newspaper said few people have heard about the outbreak of what agency officials think was Norwalk virus, an illness that causes diarrhea and vomiting and is spread through fecal to oral contact.Continue Reading New food business law follows rash of sickness in Greenville
Errol Kiong reports that a few thousand people dining in corporate comfort at the All Blacks-Ireland test at Eden Park last Saturday could have been struck down with gastroenteritis.
A week after the big match, public health officials have yet to pinpoint the exact cause for the outbreak that left at least 100 patrons who dined in four separate corporate hospitality areas reeling from a suspected norovirus infection.Continue Reading Thousands put at risk by Eden Park food poisoning outbreak
Angela Cunningham of News WLNS.com reports that health officials are investigating what caused six people who ate at Wendy’s in Grand Ledge to become sick. They believe anyone who ate at the restaurant between Friday the 21st and this Tuesday could have come in contact with contaminated food.
Health officials say it is still very early in their investigation and they’re not ready to rule anything out. Early this week, health officials started getting reports that people who ate at the Wendy’s in Grand Ledge were having some serious problems.
The Barry-Eaton Health Department is trying to get to the bottom of what’s causing the illness. Early indication is that food at the restaurant had been contaminated with norovirus, commonly known as the stomach flu.Continue Reading Health expert/Wendy’s owner talk about illness at local restaurant
Lewis Taylor of The Register-Guard says getting sick is an unfortunate side effect of eating adventurously. Even eating un-adventurously can make you ill.
Food-borne illnesses are misunderstood and difficult to track, and only about 10 percent of them are ever reported, officials say. They aren’t just underreported, though, they’re also over-diagnosed. Most people assume it was the meal they just ate a half-hour ago that’s got them doubled over in pain, but in reality most food-borne illnesses have a 24- to 48-hour incubation period. This means restaurants often get a bad rap for making people ill, when it could have just as easily been Grandma’s preserves.Continue Reading What if food makes you sick?
The Plainville Citizen reports that a new government report shows that rates of certain foodborne illnesses, such as infection from E. coli bacteria, are dropping due to better food industry policies. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use caution when it comes to food preparation and storage, especially as the weather gets warmer and people start dining in their backyard or packing picnics. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 76 million people contract foodborne diseases every year, affecting more people than the common cold. But many of the symptoms of food poisoning mimic those of the garden-variety flu, sometimes leaving people to wonder if their symptoms were caused by something they ate or by a virus they picked up another way.
Continue Reading Food Poisoning or Flu?
MSNBC.com reports that two hospitals in Allentown and Reading and two nursing homes are the latest places being hit by a stomach bug. A similar virus outbreak kept 1,399 students home from Washington Township High School in New Jersey Friday. Almost 200 people in Lehigh and Berks County have become sick with what local health officials believe is a norovirus, the same virus that sickened hundreds of passengers on cruise ships several years ago. Norovirus is the name now given to a group of viruses previously called Norwalk. Final tests from the state health department are not due until Monday.
Health officials in the Lehigh County said that the virus is spreading like wildfire.Continue Reading Norwalk-like virus hits Lehigh Valley, South Jersey
EchoPress.com reports that health officials are reporting an increase in digestive tract illness caused by a family of bugs known as noroviruses.
At least 29 outbreaks of norovirus illness have been reported to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) since the first of the year, according to department officials. The outbreaks have occurred in a variety of settings, including commercial food establishments, schools, nursing homes and hotels.
Noroviruses are the most common cause of food-related illness in Minnesota, and reported cases tend to peak during the winter months. However, officials say the current level of norovirus activity is the highest in several years.Continue Reading Food-related illnesses on the rise
Kathleen Lavey of the Lansing State Journal reports on Dan Domanowski, who is part of a sea of mid-Michigan workers who shake off illnesses to report to work. Some under-the-weather workers head to the office out of dedication. Others don’t want to shift their duties onto colleagues, or face huge lists of postponed tasks when they return to work. Some don’t get paid if they don’t show up.
But dedication can come at a cost.
A worker infected with the norovirus went to work at Carrabba’s Italian Grill on Jan. 28 and Jan. 29, said Barry-Eaton District Health Department officials. As many as 430 people who ate at the Delta Township restaurant got it, too, vomiting and racing to the bathroom with diarrhea.Continue Reading Just stay home: We know we shouldn’t work when we’re sick. So why do we?