Practical lessons from the management of an outbreak of small round structured virus (Norwalk-like virus) gastroenteritis

An outbreak of viral gastroenteritis caused illness in 92 people during October 2000. All the cases had an association with one hotel and 80% of cases identified had attended one of two buffet meals on 18th October 2000. Cohort analysis did not implicate any particular foodstuff in this outbreak. Al...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCommunicable disease and public health Vol. 5; no. 1; p. 43
Main Authors Lachlan, M, Licence, K, Oates, K, Vaughan, S, Hill, R
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England 01.03.2002
Subjects
Caliciviridae Infections - epidemiology
Caliciviridae Infections - prevention & control
Caliciviridae Infections - virology
Cluster Analysis
Disease Outbreaks
Food Handling
Foodborne Diseases - virology
Gastroenteritis - epidemiology
Gastroenteritis - prevention & control
Gastroenteritis - virology
Humans
Norovirus - isolation & purification
Restaurants
Risk Factors
United Kingdom - epidemiology
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Summary:An outbreak of viral gastroenteritis caused illness in 92 people during October 2000. All the cases had an association with one hotel and 80% of cases identified had attended one of two buffet meals on 18th October 2000. Cohort analysis did not implicate any particular foodstuff in this outbreak. All bacteriological tests on food samples were negative. Small round structured virus (SRSV)/Norwalk-like virus (NLV) particles were seen by electron microscopy in 6 out of 27 stool samples submitted for analysis. This paper describes the outbreak and in particular the lessons learned from the management and control of it. These include practical points with regard to the outbreak control team, liaison with the microbiology laboratory, handling data, agreeing a case definition, and occupational health issues. All can be applied elsewhere by those responsible for managing outbreaks at a local level.
ISSN:1462-1843