9 positive for norovirus in suspected Taipei restaurant food poisoning

Taipei, Jan. 14 (CNA) The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Tuesday announced that nine people who fell ill after dining at buffet restaurant INPARADISE's Breeze Xinyi branch in Taipei tested positive for norovirus.

Speaking at a routine press conference, CDC spokesperson Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said an epidemiology investigation showed that 77 people who ate at the restaurant from Jan. 5-7 fell ill.

Of those people, 78 percent had diarrhea, 77 percent vomited, 68 percent experienced nausea, 28 percent had a fever, and 14 percent experienced bloating, Tseng said.

Initial diagnosis indicates all suffered from gastroenteritis, but none were hospitalized, she added.

Tseng also said that samples were taken from about 70 of the diners, with nine found to have the norovirus. Meanwhile, test results from restaurant employees are not yet available.

It is still unclear whether the incident was caused by the food or whether there was contact with infected individuals, as the test results for environment and food samples have not yet been completed, Tseng said.

According to the Taipei City Department of Health, it ordered the buffet restaurant to suspend operations as soon as it received reports of suspected food poisoning on Jan. 7.

However, the restaurant was found to still be open that evening and was consequently fined the maximum penalty of NT$3 million (US$91,256) by the city.

In subsequent follow-ups of the cases, the city health department reported a total of 59 people who dined at the restaurant had sought medical assistance as of 9 a.m. on Jan 12.

As no new cases were reported within 24 hours and the restaurant proposed improvement measures for all potential causes of the incident, the city lifted its suspension of operations at noon on Sunday.

The difference in case numbers cited in the CDC report and the city government arose from people who fell sick but did not seek medical attention, Tseng said.

To prevent norovirus infection, the CDC recommended personal hygiene practices such as washing hands properly with soap, especially before preparing food, eating, after using the restroom, and after taking care of patients.