Saturday, September 18, 1999
Viral outbreak traced to food worker
BY TIM BONFIELD
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Hamilton County health officials say 39 people got sick Labor Day weekend because a food worker at the Kenwood Country Club didn't wash his hands properly.
Club members who dined on cold cuts and salads ingested a virus that triggered two-day bouts of vomiting and diarrhea in those affected, said Tim Ingram, Hamilton County health commissioner.
“It's not life-threatening at all. Nobody was hospitalized,” Mr. Ingram said. “But it does ruin a couple days of your life.”
The bug is similar to the Norwalk viruses, named after the Ohio town that had the first documented outbreak in 1968.
Norwalk-like viruses don't grab headlines like the recent outbreaks of the potentially deadly E. coli bacteria, but they rank among the most common causes of food-borne illness.
Symptoms of a Norwalk-like virus include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Symptoms usually begin 24 to 48 hours after ingesting tainted
food or water and clear up within two or three days. Victims can spread the virus to close contacts for up to 10 days.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 180,000 people a year catch a Norwalk-like virus. Large outbreaks in recent years have occurred among cruise ship passengers, hotel guests, restaurant patrons, schoolchildren, and people eating shellfish tainted by sewage.
At the Kenwood Country Club, health officials say a sick worker, who either didn't wash his hands after using the restroom or didn't wash them properly, spread the virus as he prepared deli-style foods.
All the patrons who got sick ate at the club between Sept. 3 and Sept. 6, Mr. Ingram said. The club sent the sick worker home Sept. 7.
After receiving a tip, the county health department inspected the club Sept. 8, finding nothing unusual except for the sick worker. Health officials compiled a list of 39 people who reported that they got sick.
Of those, 37 ate at the country club and two were relatives of initial victims. No new cases linked to the outbreak have been reported, Mr. Ingram said.
Kenwood Country Club managershad no comment Friday.
“It's over now,” Mr. Ingram said. “If there's a message here, it's that hand-washing is extremely important. And if restaurant managers know of a sick food handler, they should send them home right away and make sure they get checked by a doctor.”
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