Norovirus outbreak traced to Panera

Princeton Health Officer David Henry said that initial analysis showed a connection between the students diagnosed with norovirus and food from Panera.

“We were looking at the 15 original cases in a window of what they ate over the three days,” Henry said. The majority of these 15 students who were exposed to the virus recorded eating at the establishment within the three-day period, he said.

Although several students reported visiting Panera just before they were diagnosed with the stomach flu, Henry mentioned that there is no way to tell if Panera was actually linked to the norovirus.

“You don’t actually have to eat [contaminated food]; the virus can be on door handles and food containers,” Henry explained.

Henry noted that his office was originally uncertain whether the cause of the sickness originated with a virus like gastroenteritis or an illness caused by bacteria, such as salmonella.

An investigation of the cause for the viral outbreak was conducted in early February, when officials began probing into initial cases and tried to find similarities between students’ dining routines. A health report indicated that those exposed to the virus frequented several food retail establishments other than Panera, according to the Times of Trenton.

“To be on the safe side, we temporarily asked the five workers to do other jobs in the food establishment besides food handling while we waited for the test results,” Henry explained.

Representatives from Panera did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Once the results came back and salmonella was ruled out as a possibility, the Panera workers returned to their original positions.

“Once we gave it the prevention details of how to prevent norovirus, there was no punitive action to take against Panera,” Henry said. The eatery “may have been the victim as much as it may have been the cause.”

In response to the outbreak on campus and in the community, University health inspectors spoke to restaurants in the area and explained proper safety protocol and any preventive measures the eateries could take in the future.

“Inspectors talked to as many food establishments as they could to make sure [the restaurants] took the safety precautions to avoid the virus,” Henry explained.

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The outbreak seems to have subsided as of last week, Henry explained.

“A number of communities have been through norovirus outbreaks, and as far as we can tell, we are no longer having a problem with it,” Henry observed. “We talked to a number of places, the [University] and the community, and everything seems to be back to normal.”

Norovirus is a virus that affects the stomach and intestines and can cause an illness known as gastroenteritis. Although the virus typically lasts for only one or two days, it can spread quickly and is the leading cause of disease from contaminated foods. The Centers for Disease Control reports that the most common foods related to viral outbreaks are leafy greens, fresh fruit and shellfish.