Texas: Norovirus outbreak prompts La Mesa restaurant to close
While Grayson County, Texas finally sees the slowing of a shigella outbreak that has affected 127 since last fall, another gastrointestinal disease has appeared at one Sherman restaurant prompting a voluntary closure, according to a KTEN 10 report Wednesday.
Norovirus
Image/CDC
Grayson County health officials say an outbreak of norovirus has caused the closure of La Mesa restaurant for at least yesterday. Ownership says several non-kitchen employees has showed symptoms of the viral infection.
It is not clear how many employees were affected and whether any restaurant patrons were sickened in the outbreak.
The restaurant spent the day cleaning and sanitizing.
Norovirus is a highly contagious viral illness that often goes by other names, such as viral gastroenteritis, stomach flu, and food poisoning.
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 typically spread through contaminated food andwater, 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.
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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We both got sick after eating at La Mesa. Do you know the managers name? Is he responsible for our medical bills? Please let us know who to contact. Thank you, the Sneeds.