Update Jan. 20
Pho Aroma at 5605 Delridge Way SW is open again following a closure on Jan 17 due to reports of people becoming sick after eating there. The owners believe that reports on from the Health Department itself, television and local blog were in error and explained that "It was only a precautionary closure for two days. The Health Department didn't even come in and sample anything because they told us there's no way to know where the virus came from. Only one table got sick and it could have come from them and been passed among them." They further explained that it was only one employee and that they had not even eaten at Pho Aroma. Nonetheless they were closed and took the opportunity to complete sanitize the entire restaurant. The owners said, "The Health Department told us the Norovirus only survives 48 hours on a surface, so the closure was precautionary," They wanted to assure people they are back open and operating normally. All previous health inspections at Pho Aroma have rated as "Excellent."
Original Post Jan 18
King County Public Health is investigating an outbreak of gastroenteritis with nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea associated with Pho Aroma located at 5605 Delridge Way SW.
KCPH said that on January 16, 2018, Public Health learned of 3 ill persons from one meal party that became ill after consuming food and beverage from the restaurant on January 13.
They posted the notice on their site explaining:
- As part of the Public Health investigation, Environmental Health investigators visited and closed the restaurant on January 17. During the field inspection, investigators identified 2 employees who experienced similar symptoms after the ill customers' meal date of January 13.
- We do not have laboratory confirmation of the pathogen responsible for the illness, but symptoms are suggestive of norovirus. Often in norovirus outbreaks, no laboratory testing is done. The exact food or drink item that caused the illness has not been identified, though this is not uncommon for norovirus outbreaks where multiple food items may be contaminated.
About norovirus
- Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that frequently spreads person-to-person and is often associated with food. Norovirus illness often has a sudden onset of nausea and vomiting and/or watery diarrhea with cramps. A low-grade fever, chills, and body aches sometimes occur.
- Norovirus rarely causes severe complications. Dehydration is the most common complication, particularly among young children and the elderly. No vaccine is available for norovirus.
Prevention
General advice for reducing risk of contracting norovirus:
- Wash hands, cutting boards, and counters used for food preparation immediately after use to avoid cross contaminating other foods.
- Wash hands thoroughly with soap after using the bathroom or changing diapers, and before preparing any food or eating.
- Wait at least 48 hours after the last episode of vomiting and/or diarrhea before preparing any food for others.
More information about norovirus
- Norovirus facts, Public Health — Seattle & King County
- Norovirus facts, Foodsafety.gov
It's doubtful that any apology is forthcoming from the other media outlets. To our knowledge we are the only one who followed up by speaking to the owners to clarify the situation. It's standard procedure to report what King County Public Health reported since they are a government agency tasked with protecting the public. But the owners believe that KCPH got it wrong and that it was then blown out of proportion by public chatter on other outlets. We don't allow that kind of anonymous commenting (and in fact had no comments on our site though we did field some on our Facebook account). We have received almost universal praise on Facebook for doing the follow up by letting people know what the owners did in response.