Food-borne disease in Gallarate, update

The health authorities of Gallarate (Varese) provided an update on 90 reports of food poisoning involving 88 minors and two primary school employees, and three reports involving nursery schoolchildren. The update stated that the results of the microbiological analyses on fecal samples from the patients indicated the presence of norovirus in almost all of the examined samples. It was determined that the cause of the illnesses was not food-borne, as had initially been suspected, but rather a strain of norovirus, an RNA virus of the Caliciviridae family. Norovirus is considered one of the main etiological agents of acute non-bacterial gastroenteritis, and it is currently one of the most prevalent viruses worldwide, characterised by a high level of infectiousness. It is transmitted through direct contact with infected persons, contaminated surfaces, or contaminated food or water. In light of the findings, the Italian National Institute of Health (ISS) has advocated several preventive measures, including rigorous personal hygiene practices and thorough hand and surface disinfection, in addition to the use of pasteurised or certified foodstuffs. Isolation of affected individuals has also been recommended.