| Issue Date | 6.4.2018 |
|---|---|
| Source of Information | Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) of the European Commission |
| Food Product | Raw oysters |
| Product Name and Description | Raw oysters harvested in Cancale, France |
| Reason For Issuing Alert |
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| Action Taken by the Centre for Food Safety |
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| Advice to the Trade |
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| Advice to Consumers |
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| Further Information | The CFS press release |
A GROUP of British school kids who fell ill during a trip to New York are now on their way home, according to reports.
City health officials say the group of 48 secondary school teens and three teachers from Crookhorn College in Waterlooville, near Portsmouth, were hospitalised shortly after arriving in Washington DC on Sunday.
The group were nauseous and vomiting when they checked into their hotel in the capital following a short stay in New York.
It was initially believed they had contracted chronic food poisoning when firefighters and dozens of medics were dispatched to the Harrington Hotel in DC.
However, it has since been suggested that norovirus could be behind the mass illness, NBC New York said.
SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) It turns out twice as many people as first reported were sickened by that norovirus outbreak at the Windjammer Restaurant.
Health officials now say 114 cases can be tied to the South Burlington restaurant. They say 108 people got sick by eating there. The other six fell ill by coming into contact with someone who ate at the restaurant.
The Vermont Department of Health says it is hearing about more cases but they happened prior to the restaurant closing down last Friday.
The eatery reopened Sunday
The Norwegian Tourist Association (DNT) reported on Sunday that cases of a contagious stomach virus have broken out at some cabins at Hardangervidda. A total of 23 people were affected, reported the association
“It’s a hard problem when our people at our cabins get sick. We do our best to take care of them,” said Henning Hoff Wikborg, CEO of DNT Oslo and Omegn in a press release on Sunday.
Those who are ill have been isolated in their own room, and have access to their own toilet, or have been transported and accommodated in hotels, according to Wikborg.
Hordaland Red Cross have taken 15 people from Hardangervidda, and the municipality in Eidfjord fears an outbreak of ‘norovirus’, wrote Bergens Tidende newspaper on Sunday. Symptoms of the stomach virus are nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhoea.
The Infectious Epidemic Centre in Eidfjord stated that those who are ill can be infectious for up to 48 hours after the last symptoms have disappeared and that those who are ill should not move on to other cabins the first day that they are healthy again.
More than 50 tourists were hospitalized for possible food poisoning Sunday night after arriving in Washington, D.C. from New York.
The D.C. health department said Monday they suspect members of the group have norovirus, which is highly contagious.
Firefighters were called to the Hotel Harrington in downtown D.C., blocks east of the White House, for a report of multiple people exhibiting symptoms of food poisoning. A large number of medics and police officers responded, temporarily blocking traffic.
Forty-eight teenagers and three adults were taken to hospitals. There were so many patients that the D.C. fire department had to use ambulance buses.
RASFF-food poisoning suspected to be caused by live oysters from France in Denmark
The Vermont Department of Health is investigating an outbreak of norovirus at The Windjammer Restaurant and its affiliated Upper Deck Pub in South Burlington, following more than 50 reports of illness and nine lab-confirmed cases of norovirus infection.
Health officials said the restaurant’s management has been cooperating in the investigation and has voluntarily closed for 48 hours to conduct a thorough cleaning of the establishment, including discarding prepared food items. According to The Windjammer’s management, several employees were out sick with similar symptoms. The restaurant is working closely with the Health Department to ensure the employees have the opportunity to be tested for norovirus and receive information about hand washing and glove use policies.
The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) is working with local health departments in southern Indiana to respond to a recent increase in hepatitis A cases, many of which are tied to a large outbreak in Kentucky.
In the last month, 17 cases of hepatitis A have been confirmed statewide, including 11 in Clark and Floyd counties. Since Jan. 1, ISDH has confirmed 40 cases of hepatitis A statewide. Typically, fewer than 20 cases are confirmed each year in Indiana.
From stately cruise ships to Olympic host cities, recent headline-grabbing outbreaks prove that norovirus, an incapacitating stomach bug, can strike anywhere and anytime. A new study uses mathematical modelling and data from real-world cruise ship outbreaks to find the best way of stopping the disease’s spread. Their surprising results reveal that washing your hands is more effective than surface cleaning or even quarantine at breaking the chain of transmission.
Posted in Norovirus, Research, Uncategorized
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