Nantucket Grill in Chapel Hill linked to norovirus outbreak that sickened dozens
Health officials say that at least 41 people were sickened by the gastrointestinal virus after eating at the Nantucket Grill or attending an event catered by the Chapel Hill restaurant, according to ABC affiliate WTVD Friday.
An inspection by health investigators have yet to discover the source of the norovirus outbreak, which started last month.
In addition to Chapel Hill, Nantucket Grill has locations in Durham and Raleigh.
Noroviruses are a group of viruses that cause the “stomach flu,” or gastroenteritis in people.
The symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and some stomach cramping. Sometimes people additionally have a low-grade fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and a general sense of tiredness. The illness often begins suddenly, and the infected person may feel very sick. In most people, the illness is self-limiting with symptoms lasting for about 1 or 2 days. In general, children experience more vomiting than adults do.
Norovirus is spread person to person particularly in crowded, closed places. Norovirus is typicallyspread through contaminated food and water, touching surfaces or objects contaminated with norovirus and then putting your hand or fingers in your mouth and close contact with someone who is vomiting or has diarrhea.
The highly contagious norovirus is the second leading infectious cause of gastroenteritis-associated deaths accounting for 800 annually. Norovirus causes more than 20 million illnesses annually, and it is the leading cause of gastroenteritis outbreaks in the United States.
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