Three test positive for norovirus after dining at sushi restaurant chain

Taipei, April 17 (CNA) Three of the 23 people who reported suspected food poisoning after dining at branches of the sushi restaurant chain Kura Sushi have tested positive for norovirus, the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) said Wednesday.

At a press conference on Wednesday morning, TFDA Director-General Wu Shou-mei (吳秀梅) said the TFDA and local health bureaus have received reports of 10 suspected food poisoning cases involving 23 individuals who had meals at different branches of the sushi restaurant chain.

Of the 23, three have tested positive for norovirus, while testing of samples taken from the remaining 20 individuals is still underway, Wu said, adding that a chef tested negative for norovirus, without specifying the branch where the three dined or where the chef worked.

Wu stated that all 55 branches of Kura Sushi in Taiwan have been inspected, with 32 passing, 21 ordered to make improvements within a specified period of time, and two temporarily suspended from operating.

However, she did not specify in which branches of Kura Sushi the 10 suspected food poisoning cases took place.

Meanwhile, according to the New Taipei Department of Health, six of the 10 cases of suspected food poisoning occurred within the city's jurisdiction: three cases at the Xinzhuang Honhui branch, two cases at the Tamsui branch, and one case at the Xindian branch.

The department said that the six cases were reported from March 31 to April 11, adding that the Xinzhuang Honhui and the Tamsui branches have been ordered to temporarily suspend operations.

According to the TFDA, the authorities are also testing food and environmental samples obtained from the branches of Kura Sushi for the presence of norovirus, with no positive results found yet, though no information has been provided on which branches the samples were collected from.