More than 800 people contracted norovirus (stomach flu) at a spring festival in Stuttgart, a city in southwestern Germany.
It is not known how the virus spread, but the number of infected increased significantly during the week.
Stuttgart officials believe that the source of the infection is not the food and drink served in the festival tent, because the analyzed samples were negative.
The staff, as well as the dishes and water used for washing, were also tested.
The city health institute believes that the virus was transmitted from person to person, through droplets, although it is not known who brought the virus - a visitor or a worker.
Visitors soon complained of vomiting, diarrhea and nausea.
The city's health officials announced that 26 people had been infected by Friday, April 815.
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The spring festival on the slopes of the Nekar River began on April 20 and will last for 23 days.
Visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy a variety of rides, stalls, snack bars and bars that offer refreshments and entertainment.
Last year in 2023, there were 1,4 million visitors.
The norovirus outbreak spread through the tent Göckelesmaier.
Organizer Karl Meier told the German media "that someone probably brought the norovirus on Saturday evening April 20", I will suggest that it could be an infected group.
Stuttgart health officials say there is no evidence that hygiene rules were broken.
The tent was thoroughly disinfected last week and reopened to visitors.
City spokesman Sven Mattis told the public service SVR that there is reason to suspect that the virus initially spread through the central service area before affecting the entire city.
It is believed that most of the people got sick after visiting the tent, and that there were already infected among the workers.
Officials say that it is possible that individual visitors were a secondary source of infection.
Norovirus symptoms
- nausea;
- diarrhea;
- vomiting.
Additional symptoms are:
- elevated temperature;
- headache;
- pain in legs and arms.
Source: Great Britain's National Health Service (NHS)
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