An ACT Health investigation has revealed a sick worker likely caused an outbreak of gastroenteritis (gastro) at a Canberra doughnut bar last year.
The investigation found the illness was caused by the spread of norovirus, a virus that often causes gastro and is spread through direct contact with an infected person or ingestion of faeces or vomit particles from an infected person.
It found no reports of gastro symptoms from customers in the store, making it unlikely a sick patron was the cause of the outbreak, and also noted food handlers on site did not provide stool samples for testing.
The report stated there was evidence collected on-site "suggestive of faecal contamination", and the spread of the virus was most likely a result of a worker carrying the virus.
"There is the potential for a food handler to have worked with an asymptomatic norovirus infection; however, the scale of illness associated with this outbreak suggests there was a lapse in hand hygiene and proper food handling procedures regardless," the report said.
Though it was one of the largest foodborne outbreaks ever investigated in the ACT, the report said the total number of people affected by the norovirus outbreak was unknown, as all cases were unlikely to have been reported.
Of the 301 people ACT Health surveyed after eating something from the business, 215 reported experiencing gastro symptoms between November 20 and November 24, 2021.
All 215 symptomatic people had eaten a doughnut from the business, which also sold other products that were prepared offsite.
One person became sick on the day they ate their doughnut and was hospitalised due to the severity of their illness.
They had previously received gastric sleeve surgery, which was thought to have increased their susceptibility to infection.
The report also revealed that during the outbreak, the business catered 192 doughnuts at a workplace function. The investigation used this to determine whether a particular flavour of doughnut was to blame.
It found there was no flavour that was more likely to result in infection, but people who ate filled doughnuts – containing cream, custard, jam, caramel or Nutella – had a higher likelihood of infection.
The report suggested this was a result of filled doughnuts requiring more handling by the staff member believed to have spread the illness.
