Tazewell County Norovirus Outbreak: The CDC confirmed Thursday that a sick food worker caused the November 2022 Tazewell County norovirus outbreak that killed over 300 people.
According to the CDC, the outbreak is likely linked to “Restaurant A,” Monical’s Pizza in Washington. Restaurant salads and sauces, probably created by the ill worker, were the source. This worker, who threw up on November 22, worked without gloves from November 21 to 23.
The Tazewell County Health Department (TCHD) called the Illinois Department of Public Health on November 26 to notify them. The restaurant closed on November 26 to clean up and reopened on November 29 after a health check. The TCHD taught food workers how to wash their hands, stay home with diarrhea or vomiting, and clean effectively.
The IDPH helped the TCHD investigate where the spread began. This case-control research examined Monical’s customers from November 19 to 26. The poll found 317 persons had norovirus. Three instances were verified, and 314 persons had norovirus-like symptoms. The study comprised 40 healthy restaurant patrons who didn’t become sick. These 357 persons were interviewed initially online to establish food connections.
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The CDC conducted extensive examinations, including supplementary inquiries about when the sickness began and what was eaten. The salad was consumed by 227 of 268 sick persons and 15 of 40 healthy people. Notably, 27 impacted folks didn’t consume salad but did eat other sauces and dressings.
The poll indicated that affected people came from 10 Illinois counties and 12 states, not simply Tazewell County. The primary statistics did not include secondary instances in restaurant patrons’ residences.
Even though no one died or was hospitalized from the outbreak, seven went to the ER and five to routine doctors. The 317 unwell persons reported vomiting (84%), feeling sick (80%), diarrhea (68%), muscle pain (40%), cold (38%), stomach discomfort (26%), and fever (19%).
The Food and Drug Administration’s 2022 Food Code emphasizes handwashing and preventing sick persons from touching food. This is especially true since noroviruses cause most U.S. food-borne illness.
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