Over 50 people who ate food at Mankato Civic Center events contracted norovirus. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) determined that the norovirus outbreak was caused by a food handler working for Najwa’s Catering, the caterer for the two events.
It was the responsibility of Najwa’s Catering to make sure that the food handlers were not sick. According to MDH guidelines for food service providers, food service providers are to take the following actions when an employee has norovirus or symptoms of norovirus (abdominal cramps, vomiting, fever, chills and muscle pain):
Exclude food employee from food establishment. Notify local health department or call 1-877-FOOD-ILL. Record illness on employee illness log. Health department clearance is required before the food worker may return to work.
The guidelines provide the following additional information about norovirus:
Norovirus is a SEVERE FOOD SAFETY RISK. Norovirus is a highly contagious illness and can be easily transmitted from an infected foodworker to customers.
Foodworkers diagnosed with norovirus must report their illness to the person-in-charge.
The emphasis on “SEVERE FOOD SAFETY RISK” is the department’s. There are several reasons for this:
- Norovirus is easily transmitted from one food handler to hundreds of people; and
- The elderly and immunocompromised are at risk of suffering severe dehydration, which can then cause seizures, shock, kidney failure, cerebral edema (brain swelling with the introduction of fluids) or death.
The banquet was held on November 13, 2012. MDH was not able to trace the norovirus source to one particular person.
Attorney Fred Pritzker and his Bad Bug Law Team have offices in Minneapolis, MN. They represent food poisoning victims throughout the United States and have won millions for their clients. Fred is a national food safety advocate, and recently spoke at Harvard Law School and Cornell University. He is listed in the current edition of The Best Lawyers in America.
