Open AccessOutbreak of norovirus infection associated with contaminated flood water, Salzburg, 2005
Author(s) -
Daniela Schmid,
I. Lederer,
Peter Much,
Anna-Margaretha Pichler,
Franz Allerberger
Publication year - 2005
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 9999-1233
DOI - 10.2807/esw.10.24.02727-en
Subject(s) - outbreak , norovirus , sewage , environmental health , contaminated food , geography , contaminated water , flood myth , medicine , virology , environmental engineering , environmental science , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , archaeology , chemistry , environmental chemistry
An outbreak of gastrointestinal illness in American tourists in May-June 2005 that was first thought to be foodborne has been linked to direct exposure to floodwater contaminated with raw sewage. On 1 June 2005, ORF (the Austrian Broadcasting Company) reported that 26 out of 36 American tourists who had eaten dinner in a well-known restaurant in Salzburg had fallen ill. According to the news report, 10 of the ill tourists had presented to a local hospital, triggering an outbreak investigaton by the local health authorities, who assumed salmonella to be the causative agent.