Norovirus has been blamed for causing an outbreak in Hungary that sickened almost 600 people.
The National Center for Public Health and Pharmacy (NNGYK), the National Food Chain Safety Office (Nébih) and local officials investigated the incident that occurred in Budapest.
In early November, authorities became aware of a rise in infections, likely related to food, in several educational institutions. All sites were served by the same catering company.
Mainly children sick
An investigation covered the raw materials, technological processes, the kitchen environment and personal hygiene conditions. Findings led to an enforcement case being opened against the kitchen operator.
Authorities also compared test results to obtain an accurate picture of the background to the illnesses.
Laboratory tests revealed that the same Norovirus strain (GII.4 Sydney) was present in the samples of kitchen workers and patients. Investigators said this supports foodborne spread in the supply chain.
During the outbreak, 19 canteens were affected, and 594 people fell ill, including 541 children and 53 staff. The most common symptoms were diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, fever, and headaches. After eating lunch, people complained about vomiting and diarrhea, and 47 children needed hospital care. All patients have now recovered.
Results of food sampling showed the presence of Staphylococcus and Bacillus cereus but when compared with samples from patients, this could not justify all the illnesses.
Officials believe kitchen and personal hygiene deficiencies may have contributed to the spread of the virus.
Authorities suspended operations at the cooking kitchen, ordered a major cleaning and disinfection focus, hygiene training for employees, and disinfection of kindergartens.
The affected kitchen can only reopen after lab results confirm the effectiveness of cleaning and disinfection and negative samples are obtained from employees.
Targeted inspection campaign
Also in Hungary, the National Authority for Trade and Consumer Protection (NKFH) was one of several agencies that recently carried out a national inspection of outlets and restaurants selling gyros. Gyros is meat cooked on a rotisserie and then put in pita bread with other ingredients and sauces.
Officers inspected 350 catering units, opening procedures in 85 cases, and imposing fines worth more than 17 million forints ($52,000), with several procedures still ongoing. Also, 25 units were suspended due to serious hygiene issues, and 1,300 kilograms of food was withdrawn from circulation because of a lack of traceability, labeling errors, and expired dates. Typical problems included a lack of adequate handwashing facilities or there was no hand sanitizer.
The targeted inspection was ordered based on previous negative control experiences. The aim was to protect consumers and reduce food safety risks.
Consumer information was not always up to standard as allergens were not correctly listed in 17 percent of the facilities inspected.
