CNN
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The Wake County Department of Public Health is investigating 241 complaints of people feeling sick after eating at a sushi restaurant in Raleigh, North Carolina, including a groom who filed a lawsuit claiming he got sick before his wedding.
The Ministry of Health said in a report that so far, three cases of norovirus infection have been linked to the Sushi Nine restaurant New release.
Norovirus – sometimes called “stomach flu” or “stomach bug” – It is a very contagious virus Which causes inflammation of the stomach or intestines, leading to diarrhea and vomiting, According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People can get the disease by coming into contact with an infected person, eating contaminated food, or touching contaminated surfaces.
In the lawsuit filed Friday, Austin Friels said he and his family ate at the restaurant on Nov. 29, then became ill the next day with “nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, muscle pain, fatigue, headache, severe abdominal pain, and dehydration.”
Friels said his symptoms worsened and continued throughout his wedding weekend. He had to go to urgent care and the emergency room and receive several bags of intravenous fluids, according to the lawsuit.
Friels is asking the court for an unspecified amount in damages exceeding $25,000, including lost wages, medical expenses, travel expenses, emotional distress and physical pain.
The lawsuit did not say whether Friels had a confirmed case of norovirus.
CNN has reached out to the restaurant for comment.
The first person to notify the health department said they became ill after eating at the restaurant on Dec. 1, public health officials said in the news release. Since then, the department has received a total of 241 complaints from diners who visited Sushi Nine between November 28 and December 5.
Of the 241 people who reported being infected with the disease, 170 were interviewed and asked to provide stool samples, which is the only way to test for the virus, the press release said.
She says only three gave samples, and all of them came back positive for norovirus.
The restaurant voluntarily closed for deep cleaning on December 5 and has since reopened. No new complaints have been received since it reopened on December 8, according to the statement.
The county continues to investigate all potential sources of exposure and has not yet identified a single type of food that may be the source, the statement said, adding that those who reported becoming ill ate various items from the menu.
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