Norovirus confirmed as culprit in Albert Park double gastro outbreak

A highly contagious illness has been identified as the culprit of a nasty double gastro outbreak that left at least 100 wedding and conference guests violently ill.

A food safety expert has detailed what could have led to the double gastro outbreak that made at least 100 people sick.

A highly contagious form of gastro that left more than 100 guests at The Park Melbourne violently ill last week has been identified by the health department.

At least 70 medical practitioners who attended the Albert Park venue last Wednesday came down with suspected food poisoning just two days before another outbreak gatecrashed a wedding, leaving at least 30 guests sick.

Speculations from horrified diners emerged about what could have led to the outbreak, especially after details surfaced on the food served at each event.

But a Department of Health spokeswoman confirmed with the Herald Sun on Friday that the illness had been identified as foodbourne illness, Norovirus.

The extremely contagious form of gastro, which can spread through people or via contaminated food, surfaces or objects, was confirmed following lab testing of patients’ blood and stool samples.

Affected guests and the venue’s staff were also interviewed as part of investigations and were advised to self-isolate for between 24 and 48 hours.

Symptoms include acute onset vomiting, diarrhoea, nausea, muscle pains and low-grade fever.

At least 70 medical staff and 30 wedding guests who attended the venue have come down with gastroenteritis symptoms.

After evaluating both menus that were served at the events, registered nutritionist and former food safety manager Susan McLeod told the Herald Sun the chicken breast that was served as a main course option was most likely the culprit.

“It’s important to know that almost any food can actually cause a foodborne illness and it really comes down to proper handling of the foods,” she said.

“But the (meals) that stand out to me that can be potentially dangerous – if not managed correctly – would be things like any animal products, so meats, poultry, (and) I can see that there was chicken breast on both menus.”

According to the World Health Organisation, a foodborne illness is caused by contamination of food and can occur at any stage of the production, delivery and consumption chain.

The term “food poisoning” is commonly used to describe all foodborne illnesses, which can also occur when bad microbes are consumed.

Other factors which could have possibly led to the outbreaks are how the venue prepared the food and whether a staff member was sick with the illness while preparing the meals.

“I don’t want to speculate that is the case but poor food handling practices are often the cause of foodborne illness,” she said.

“(But) if I was to hazard a guess I would say it’s either a viral gastro which is highly contagious and can easily spread (or if a food handler) had poor hygiene techniques while they were preparing the food, then that would have the potential to spread foodborne illness.”

In addition to speculation about what caused the outbreak, concerned Victorians have raised questions about how the venue is still open despite two outbreaks.

Ms McLeod said a foodborne illness could have caused the outbreak.

Ms McLeod said the Port Phillip Council would have had to “establish that there’s a reason to shut it” in their initial investigations for the venue to be shut down.

“Following the number of cases (reported), the health department would have contacted the local council, (which) would have immediately gone and investigated the premise and if there was any reason to shut them down, they would have shut them down immediately,” she said.

“But if they had determined that their food records were in place, and that their practices were compliant with the legislation, then at that point they would just be investigating further to determine what has happened in this instance.”