On June 3, CDC published an "early release" Morbidity
and Mortality Weekly Report on foodborne norovirus outbreaks. In the report, the
following facts about norovirus were addressed:
- Norovirus, a non-enveloped virus, leads to most of the cases of acute gastroenteritis and foodborne illness in the U.S.
- Roughly 50,000-70,000 people are hospitalized and 500-800 deaths occur annually.
- The most interesting fact from a study conducted on norovirus outbreaks by the CDC between 2009 -2012 is that most of the cases were a result of infected food service handlers in restaurants.
- While cruise ships are commonly implicated in outbreaks, restaurants are far more commonly associated with this problem.
- Contamination during food preparation and raw foods were main causes of these cases.
- When food categories were implicated, vegetable row crops such as leafy vegetables, fruits and mollusks were the most common.
Infection Control Consulting Services (ICCS) provides policies and procedures for safe handling of food. Restaurants interested in learning more about how ICCS can help keep patrons and staff safe from foodborne illness can contact ICCS by clicking here.