State health investigators continue to investigate suspected norovirus outbreak

The Minnesota Department of Health is continuing its investigation into why several people reportedly became ill at a fundraising event April 25 at a Baxter church.

About 275 people attended the New Pathways Inc. fundraiser at Lakewood Evangelical Free Church in Baxter. The banquet was catered by Prairie Bay Restaurant in Baxter.

Doug Schultz, MDH spokesperson, said Wednesday that investigators have spoken to about 60 people so far who attended the banquet. Of those, 35 people reported they became ill after the event.

Schultz said the illness is suspected to be norovirus, which can cause acute gastroenteritis, with symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting and stomach pain. He said norovirus is one of the most common food-borne illnesses seen in Minnesota and throughout the country.

Schultz said it could take another week or so to determine the source of the outbreak but with a norovirus outbreak this may be difficult to do since people are the initial carriers for the illness, unlike salmonella or E. coli. He said it's important to determine if there were any practices made by food service workers that could have contributed to the spread of the illness and make sure those practices are corrected in the future.

Prairie Bay general manager Nick Miller last week said he and his staff are fully cooperating with state health investigators, as are those at Lakewood church. The restaurant donated labor to service the buffet line and none of the staff, which were interviewed by state health investigators, were ill, Miller said.

Other volunteers set and cleared the tables at the event, as well as handled the ice and served beverages.

"Every indication that we have received from the health department has been very positive," Miller said Wednesday. "We have undergone and passed a full scale inspection. We remain confident in our practices and our level of service. We will continue to support our community and we want to thank all of our great customers who have shown incredible support over the last few days."

JODIE TWEED may be reached at jodie.tweed@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5858.