The Spaghetti Warehouse reopened for business late last week after closing for five days in response to reports of food poisoning.
Customers reported an outbreak of viral gastroenteritis at the restaurant, located at 725 W. First Ave. Spaghetti Warehouse owner Jay Zink said his restaurant has undergone extensive cleaning and is back to business as usual.
“We’re excited to be back open,” Zink said.
But the Lane County Health Department predicts more flare-ups of the virus in other areas in Eugene, department sanitarian Richard Coots said.
Coots said the exact cause of the Spaghetti Warehouse outbreak hasn’t been determined yet. Once the cause is determined, health officials can stop further contamination. The virus is spread by fecal contamination, meaning those who have the virus are only contagious through their fecal material. It is usually passed on when infected people pass the virus from their hands to food, said Martha deBroekert, a nurse for the Lane County Health Department.
“It is extremely important for people to be washing their hands,” Coots said.
The health department took stool samples from Spaghetti Warehouse employees, patrons who came down with the virus and patrons who did not get sick to determine where the virus originated.
“We’re still crunching the numbers, but we’re pretty sure the virus was spread through an uncooked food,” Coots said.
DeBroekert said what needs to be determined in situations like this is whether a restaurant’s practices or its food is responsible for the outbreak.
“We try everything we can to pinpoint the cause of the virus,” deBroekert said. “In some cases, we can never determine the exact cause.”
DeBroekert said that by having those involved in the outbreak fill out questionnaires, and by comparing those who got sick to those who didn’t, the health department can possibly prevent others from getting sick.
Coots describes this virus as a “hardy” one that can survive freezing and heating of up to 140 F. Only boiling can kill the virus, so foods like salad, which are not heated at all, are most likely to carry the virus.
This virus exhibits such symptoms as nausea, vomiting, body aches, dehydration and diarrhea. Symptoms of the virus usually set in 35 hours after a person is contaminated, and continue for 24 to 48 hours.
“For most people who contract the virus, the effects are pretty mild,” Coots said. “Most people feel like they want to die for a few hours, but the symptoms won’t cause anything really damaging.”
Two people were reported as needing emergency-room care, mostly to be rehydrated, Coots said. People with weak immune systems, such as the very young and the very old, might encounter severe symptoms.
Unlike a bacteria, this virus cannot grow outside the body. It can stay alive, but to multiply, the virus must be living in a human cell.
Though symptoms only last 24 to 48 hours, a person can still carry the virus for a few days after symptoms subside.
For those who do contract the virus, Coots said it’s important to replace the body’s fluids by drinking lost of water and getting plenty of rest.