United States: Over 550 people, who attended P.E.I. International Shellfish Festival last weekend contracted a disease, said province’s Chief Public Health Officer.
“The is the biggest gastrointestinal illness outbreak we have on record,” Dr. Heather Morrison said to CBC News on Friday.
Stool samples collected from those who consumed foods at the festival have confirmed the existence of norovirus in their systems, Morrison said. The sickness led four persons to visit emergency centers, with another person admitted to the hospital, Morrison said.
As stated by the information given by CBC News, there are multiple ways through which one can be infected with norovirus including eating food that has been prepared by a person infected with the virus or touching an object that has had contact with the virus or even come across a person that has the virus, she said.
The CPHO began the investigation this Tuesday this week after people who attended MNE event beginning September 19-22 in Charlottetown reported vomiting, diarrhea, stomach ache and fever. FW alone saw 3200 people visit the festival and overall, the festival attracted more than 9000 people.
Any person experiencing symptoms was encouraged to complete an online food consumption survey in a bid to try and gauge the severity of the outbreak and the sources.
“It was more people than we had initially even thought,” she said. This is how I would have to guess there were probably more people that were sick than even responded to the questionnaire.
The aim was also achieved as the Chief Public Health Office also called the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and other health-care staff to ask them to take stool samples from anyone with the symptoms.
However, Morrison pointed out that unlike other flu strains, which are highly infectious, health facilities have not noted a recent increase in the number of people with norovirus. Liam Dolan, board chair for the shellfish festival, is optimistic the outbreak will not have a negative impact on the brand that holds the annual event in downtown Charlottetown.
“I feel bad for anybody that didn’t get sick, but it was out of our control to a certain degree he said and “So I think we are going to learn from this and move on.”
With over four decades working in the hospitality, Dolan said he’s never seen anything like this.
“I’m very much disappointed that something like this can happen and we’ve had 27 years of a great track record for this festival he said, adding that regular cleaning and safe food handling has always been a priority.