A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that restaurant and food service workers may be to blame for the rising number of norovirus outbreaks across the US.
In the report, the CDC notes that workers who fail to wash their hands or use gloves and the 1 in 5 who come into work sick with diarrhea and vomiting each year are the main reasons why norovirus outbreaks have been popping up from coast to coast.
Despite the concerning number of norovirus cases, CDC Director Tom Frieden said prevention is as simple as making sure you regularly wash your hands.
“The bottom line is that norovirus is one tough bug,” said Frieden. “Everyone should be able to go out to eat without worrying whether their food is safe. We do know how to stop norovirus from contaminating our food.”
Recent Breakouts
Norovirus has been back in the news of late, and many people suspected that poor food safety techniques and close quarter contact on cruise ships were to blame, but the CDC said cruise ships aren’t the problem. Research suggests that cruise ships are responsible for only one percent of the nation’s norovirus outbreaks, while restaurants and food service handlers were responsible for 70 percent.
Some other statistics about the norovirus include:
- Food service workers who touched read-to-eat foods with their bare hands were explicitly identified in over 50 percent of known food service norovirus outbreaks.
- Food was contaminated during preparation, and raw food was the problem in three-fourths of the cases with a known cause.
- The most frequent foods found to transfer the virus include leafy green vegetables, fruits and mollusks.
- Of the non-food norovirus outbreaks, 80 percent occur in a nursing home or long-term home care facility.
- Foodborne norovirus accounts for 25 percent of the 20 million cases of stomach viruses that cause gastrointestinal distress and general misery.
Frieden concluded that hand washing and sick policies that give employees a day off after their symptoms resolve are good ways to keep the virus out of the restaurant industry.
Dr. Silverman comments
It’s very important that everyone, not just those in the food industry, regularly washes their hands. Remember the story we posted last month about banning the handshake in a medical setting? Bacteria can transfer with ease if we’re not careful.
Infected food is a big reason why people get sick. In fact, 1 in 6 people contract a food-borne illness each year. It’s not just your hands you need to be worried about. Wash fruits and veggies before preparing, disinfect areas in your kitchen where you’ve placed food, and be careful of cross contamination on items like knives and cutting boards.
Make a habit of washing your hands and make sure your family does the same before sitting down for a meal, and always use safe preparation techniques when handling and cooking foods. As I always say, take steps to prevent yourself from catching the virus instead of treating the problem once it sets in.
Related source: Medscape, NBC