Di Nolfo's Banquet Inn and Catering source of 57 Norovirus Cases
According to press reports, at least four people were hospitalized and 53 others reported illnesses after attending wedding parties this month at a banquet hall in south suburban Mokena, leading Will County health officials to try to determine the cause. The Health Department is looking for others who may have gotten sick after attending weddings at Di Nolfo's Banquet Inn and Catering on July 16 and 17.
Health officials believe the source of the illness is a Norovirus, a highly infectious family of viruses responsible for the majority of non-bacterial gastroenteritis outbreaks reported worldwide. Symptoms include abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, headaches, and chills. Health officials collected and tested food from Di Nolfo's, 9425 W. 191st Street, but did not find any significant violations. None of Di Nolfo's employees have reported illnesses, officials said.
"Outbreaks like this one underscore the importance of frequent and thorough hand washing," the health department's Alpesh Patel said in a released statement. "One person with soiled hands can quickly transmit Norovirus to lots of people through contaminated surfaces or food."
According to the Harvard Crimson, after closing for more than a month due to a norovirus outbreak that sickened over 300 people, the Harvard Faculty Club will reopen for private events on Monday. The Club, which had been undergoing inspections for food safety, reopened for overnight guests on May 6. The restaurant portion of the Club will officially reopen in early June. The Club first closed in late March due to an outbreak of the gastrointestinal virus, which is caused by the consumption of contaminated food or contact with infected individuals. The establishment reopened Easter weekend but closed two days later, after the reporting of more than 100 new cases of the illness, according to The Boston Globe. The Cambridge Department of Public Health authorized the Club to reopen in late April, but officials at the Club—which caters to Harvard faculty, alumni, and other guests—decided to delay reopening the restaurant service until after Commencement.
An outbreak of norovirus has shut down three oyster beds in Louisiana -- the largest oyster harvest shutdown in the state in a decade. Despite the shutdown, state health officials still aren't sure if oysters are a problem. The sickness isn't fatal in most circumstances, but it will make you extremely uncomfortable.
Recently, officials with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that 