The Wake County Public Health Department is currently investigating 241 complaints from patrons who fell ill after dining at a sushi restaurant in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Among them is a groom who has filed a lawsuit alleging he became sick just before his wedding. According to the health department’s news release, three cases of norovirus have been linked to Sushi Nine restaurant.
Norovirus, often referred to as the “stomach flu” or “stomach bug,” is highly contagious and causes inflammation of the stomach and intestines, leading to symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting.
It can spread through contact with infected individuals, consuming contaminated food, or touching contaminated surfaces.
In his lawsuit filed recently, Austin Freels claimed that he and his family dined at Sushi Nine on November 29 and fell ill the following day with symptoms including nausea, vomiting, stomach cramping, muscle aches, fatigue, headache, severe abdominal pain, and dehydration.
His symptoms persisted through his wedding weekend, requiring urgent care visits, emergency room treatment, and multiple IV fluid administrations.
Freels is seeking damages exceeding $25,000 for loss of wages, medical expenses, travel costs, emotional distress, and physical pain resulting from the illness. The lawsuit did not confirm whether Freels’ illness was definitively diagnosed as norovirus.
The initial report to the health department came from a person who fell ill after dining at the restaurant on December 1.
Since then, a total of 241 complaints have been lodged by diners who visited Sushi Nine between November 28 and December 5.
Out of these cases, 170 individuals were interviewed and asked to provide stool samples, the only method to definitively test for norovirus, according to the health department’s release.
So far, only three samples have been submitted, all of which tested positive for norovirus.
Following the outbreak, Sushi Nine voluntarily closed on December 5 for thorough cleaning and disinfection.
The restaurant reopened on December 8, and no new illness complaints have been reported since then, as per the health department’s update.
The county health officials are continuing their investigation to determine all possible sources of exposure and have not identified a specific food item linked to the outbreak. They noted that affected patrons consumed various items from the restaurant’s menu.
