Mystery looms as 70 medical professionals fall ill at the same location where 30 wedding guests developed diarrhea

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Carla Mascarenhas, News.com.au

An outbreak of diarrhea at a wedding and medical conference held at the same venue in Melbourne, Australia, may not be linked to food poisoning, as initially thought, a food safety expert has said.

About 30 wedding guests developed symptoms including fever, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting after attending a wedding reception at The Park in Albert Park on Saturday night.

It was reported yesterday that 70 medical staff who attended a meeting at the venue two days before the wedding developed similar symptoms after eating at the venue.

But food scientist Gary Kennedy told the Daily Mail the outbreak may not have been caused by food at all.

“What’s interesting in this case is that guests are served different foods at different events,” he said.

“So one thought is that it’s not about the food.

“One of the staff members may have been sick but asymptomatic, carrying a foodborne illness, and the other staff members were unaware.”

Mr Kennedy said if it was caused by food, the obvious culprit would be the chicken served at both events.

“Another possibility is that people might automatically assume it might be meat, but it might not be anything at all – for example, it might be a salad, a dressing or a wedding cake,” he said.

“Because only 30 of the 300 guests[at the wedding]got sick, so if I were to investigate, I would look at what consequences these people were trying to create.

Parks and Riverside venue manager Bahaa Harb said the cause of the “reported outbreak” was being investigated.

“We are working closely with event guests and the city to determine the cause of the outbreak,” Harb said.

He added that Port Phillip Council approved a “precautionary deep clean” of the venue.

In a statement released after the wedding outbreak, Victoria’s health department said it was also investigating the source of the outbreak.

A spokesman said: “The department is aware of an outbreak of gastroenteritis among guests who attended the Albert Park Welcome Center on Saturday.”

“We are working with Port Phillip Council to investigate the source of the outbreak and ensure all appropriate infection prevention and control measures are in place.”

The venue is working with authorities to determine what caused the outbreak.

“We are working closely with event guests and council to determine the cause of the outbreak,” the park told the Herald Sun in a statement.

The illness suffered by the wedding guests is not believed to be related to the current listeria outbreaks in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland.

What is gastroenteritis?

Gastroenteritis is a short-term illness caused by infection and inflammation of the digestive system.

Symptoms may include abdominal cramping, diarrhea and vomiting.

Some causes of gastroenteritis include viruses, bacteria, bacterial toxins, parasites, certain chemicals, and some medications.

The Victorian Department of Health and Melbourne Parks have been contacted for comment.