Opryland linked to outbreak; health officials think it’s norovirus

On my first trip to Nashville in 1999, Dani’s aunt (who we were visiting) took us to the Opryland hotel. We walked around for about an hour, grabbed some ice cream and took in the vibe. The drive down Music Row was more my thing, but the hotel was pretty impressive.
According to the Tennessean, at least 10 guests of Opryland have been treated for gastroenteritis, and it looks like the cause is norovirus. Screen Shot 2015-01-16 at 8.07.49 PM

Burba Isaacs, a vendor at a hardware trade show at Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center recently, said she and her husband arrived at the hotel on Jan. 7 and left on Jan. 10.

Around midnight Jan. 10, the Kentucky resident woke up “horrendously ill” with vomiting and diarrhea. She said her husband had developed similar symptoms.

“I haven’t been that sick in a long time,” Isaacs said by phone Thursday. “I have absolutely no idea (what happened).”

The hotel is trying to determine how many guests are experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms and seeking the health department’s help, hotel spokeswoman Jenny Barker said in an email to The Tennessean.

“The safety and health of our guests and employees is our top priority, and we are deeply concerned to learn of a number of guests experiencing symptoms of gastrointestinal illness,” Barker said. “We are providing health care services to all affected guests. To prevent further spread, additional precautionary sanitization measures have been implemented throughout the hotel.”
 
WSMV.com reports that health officials confirmed that at least one guest was ill with norovirus.
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About Ben Chapman

Dr. Ben Chapman is a professor and food safety extension specialist at North Carolina State University. As a teenager, a Saturday afternoon viewing of the classic cable movie, Outbreak, sparked his interest in pathogens and public health. With the goal of less foodborne illness, his group designs, implements, and evaluates food safety strategies, messages, and media from farm-to-fork. Through reality-based research, Chapman investigates behaviors and creates interventions aimed at amateur and professional food handlers, managers, and organizational decision-makers; the gate keepers of safe food. Ben co-hosts a biweekly podcast called Food Safety Talk and tries to further engage folks online through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and, maybe not surprisingly, Pinterest. Follow on Twitter @benjaminchapman.