As of Wednesday, March 10, 92 people reported illnesses of Norovirus after eating at Arby’s in Springfield, Illinois. The Sangamon County Department of Public Health had closed this same restaurant, located at 3009 S. Dirksen Pkwy, after an earlier outbreak of food poisoning in February, which sickened 40 people.
Health department records indicate that an inspector visited the Arby’s on March 1 following a complaint. This location has closed once again for deep cleaning and employee training upon the recommendation of the public health department.
County health officials confirmed that norovirus was the cause of the food poisoning outbreak.
What is the Norovirus?
Norovirus, commonly called “the stomach flu”, is the most prevalent foodborne illness. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that Norovirus causes 21 million cases of acute gastroenteritis in the U.S each year. Norovirus is transmitted primarily through a fecal-oral route, person-to-person or through contamination of food or water.
What are symptoms of Norovirus?
Symptoms of Norovirus usually begin 12 to 48 hours after being exposed and typically last for about 1 to 3 days.
Symptoms include:
- Sudden onset of vomiting and watery diarrhea
- Muscle aches
- Nausea
- Abdominal cramps
- Fever
Norovirus causes a relatively short, intense illness in healthy individuals. However, in some cases, severe dehydration, malnutrition, and even death can result from Norovirus infection, especially among children, the elderly and immune-compromised adults.
Noroviruses can cause extended outbreaks because of their high infectivity, persistence in the environment, resistance to common disinfectants, and difficulty in controlling their transmission through routine sanitary measures. In addition, Norovirus has evolved to avoid the immune system, which results in outbreaks. There is no specific treatment available for Norovirus.
The Marler Clark Norovirus lawyers have unmatched experience representing victims of foodborne illness. Our Norovirus lawyers have represented thousands of victims of notable Norovirus outbreaks.
Marler Clark is the only firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on plaintiff foodborne illness litigation.
If you or a family member became ill with a Norovirus infection after consuming food and you are interested in pursuing a legal claim, contact the Marler Clark Norovirus attorneys for a free case evaluation.
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