Taipei: The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Tuesday announced that nine people who fell ill after dining at buffet restaurant INPARADISE’s Breeze Xinyi branch in Taipei tested positive for norovirus. Speaking at a routine press conference, CDC spokesperson Tseng Shu-hui stated that an epidemiology investigation revealed that 77 people who ate at the restaurant from January 5-7 experienced illness.
According to Focus Taiwan, 78 percent of those affected had diarrhea, 77 percent vomited, 68 percent experienced nausea, 28 percent had a fever, and 14 percent experienced bloating. Tseng noted that the initial diagnosis indicated all suffered from gastroenteritis, but none required hospitalization. Samples were taken from approximately 70 diners, and nine were found to have the norovirus. Test results from restaurant employees are still pending.
The cause of the incident remains unclear as test results for environmental and food samples have not yet been completed. The Taipei City Department of Health ordered the buffet restaurant to suspend operations upon receiving reports of suspected food poisoning on January 7. However, the restaurant remained open that evening and was fined NT$3 million (US$91,256) by the city.
In follow-up actions, the city health department reported that a total of 59 people who dined at the restaurant sought medical assistance as of 9 a.m. on January 12. With no new cases reported within 24 hours and the restaurant proposing improvement measures, the city lifted the suspension of operations at noon on Sunday. The discrepancy in case numbers between the CDC report and city government records arose from individuals who fell sick but did not seek medical attention, Tseng explained.
To prevent norovirus infection, the CDC recommended personal hygiene practices such as washing hands properly with soap, particularly before preparing food, eating, after using the restroom, and after caring for patients.