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More Than 600 People Now Report Being Sickened By Norovirus

Creative Commons

A food-borne virus traced to an Overland Park dinner theater has sickened even more people than originally thought, health authorities say.

More than 600 people have now reported symptoms of norovirus after attending the New Theatre Restaurant in mid-January.

Since the first reports of the illness, state and local health authorities have been working with the popular venue on cleanup and safe food practices.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment says the New Theatre hired a private company to clean the facility with an approved disinfectant that kills the norovirus and is safe for food establishments.

Norovirus is highly infectious and can cause diarrhea and vomiting, among other symptoms. Transmission can occur through food or water or by touching contaminated surfaces.

Alex Smith is a reporter for KCUR, a partner in the Heartland Health Monitor team. You can reach him on Twitter @AlexSmithKCUR

As a health care reporter, I aim to empower my audience to take steps to improve health care and make informed decisions as consumers and voters. I tell human stories augmented with research and data to explain how our health care system works and sometimes fails us. Email me at alexs@kcur.org.
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