Wake County health officials not naming restaurants affected by parasite outbreak
SPECTRUM AND THE WRAL APP ON
YOUR TV OR STREAMING DEVICE.
ANOTHER PERSON IN WAKE COUNTY
HAS GOTTEN SICK FROM A FECAL
PARASITE BEING SPREAD TO AN
HERB OR VEGETABLE 135 CASES
HAVE NOW BEEN CONFIRMED IN THE
PAST FEW MONTHS.
>> THE LATEST JUST THIS WEEK
AND WE BROKE THIS STORY ON
WEDNESDAY. WRAL'S HEALTH
REPORTER GRACE HAVEN HAS BEEN
INVESTIGATING THIS OUTBREAK
AND WHY NO ONE WAS REALLY TOLD
ABOUT A GRACE. AND DEBORAH
GERALD, THIS PARASITE REALLY
IS AS UNPLEASANT AS IT SOUNDS.
IT'S MAKING A LOT OF PEOPLE
SICK WITH DIARRHEA, NAUSEA,
EVEN BODY ACHES. SOMETIMES
THOSE SYMPTOMS LASTING FOR
WEEKS. NOW, TODAY I SPOKE WITH
THE WAKE COUNTY HEALTH
DEPARTMENT AND ASKED A LOT OF
THE SAME QUESTIONS. A LOT OF
YOU HAVE BEEN REACHING OUT TO
US ASKING, INCLUDING.
>> WHY WON'T YOU NAME THE
RESTAURANTS INVOLVED? IS THIS
OUTBREAK OVER AND WHY DIDN'T
THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT TELL THE
PUBLIC? OUT OF THE 135 CASES
REPORTED SO FAR IN WAKE COUNTY.
THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT SAYS ONLY
22 ARE TIED TO 3 LOCAL
RESTAURANTS, THOUGH, WHICH
THOSE ARE REMAINS AN ANSWER.
>> WHY WON'T YOU NAME THEM?
BUT THE REASON WE'RE NOT NAMING
THEM IS BECAUSE WHEN PATIENT
NAMES THEM TO US, WE GO OUT
AND DO A RESTAURANT
INSPECTIONS. THE HEALTH
DEPARTMENT SAYS THOSE
INSPECTIONS HAVE ALREADY
HAPPENED AND DIDN'T TURN UP
ANY WRONGDOINGS BY THE
RESTAURANTS WITH NO IDENTIFIED
SOURCE. AND OVER 100 CASES NOT
TIED TO A RESTAURANT. WE ASKED
ABOUT A POSSIBLE LINK TO OTHER
BUSINESSES LIKE GROCERY STORES
OR THE LOCAL FARMER'S MARKET.
IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THIS
PRODUCE OR EFFECTED A PRODUCT?
>> IS ELSEWHERE OTHER THAN A
RESTAURANT. YES, I MEAN, I
THINK THAT'S DEFINITELY
POSSIBLE.
>> MOST OF THE TIME PRODUCE,
WHERE IS THAT? INFECTED WEBSITE
CLOSE FOR IT HAS TO DO WITH
THEIR GROWING IN THEIR
TRANSPORT YOU KNOW, FOOD
DISTRIBUTORS ARE MARKETS DHHS
PREVIOUSLY TOLD WRAL THE
OUTBREAK APPEARED TO BE OVER.
BUT FRIDAY WAKE COUNTY'S HEALTH
DEPARTMENT SAID THAT ISN'T
ENTIRELY ACCURATE AS ANOTHER
CASE WAS JUST REPORTED THIS
WEEK, THE COUNTY ADDED THEY
HAVEN'T HAD ANY NEW CASES
WITHIN THE PAST FEW WEEKS.
ALSO LINKS TO THE RESTAURANTS
AND QUESTION. WHAT POINT DO
YOU NOTIFY THE PUBLIC THAT THIS
IS GOING ON? I THINK THAT, YOU
KNOW, WE WERE LOOKING AT CASES
AND IF WE HAD ANY CONNECTION
OR, YOU AN ANNOUNCEMENT WOULD
BE MADE. BUT AT THAT AT THIS
POINT, WE STILL DO NOT HAVE A
LIKELY SOURCE. AND SO IT'S
REALLY JUST GENERAL PRECAUTION.
AND THE STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT
TODAY CONFIRMED ADDITIONAL
CASES HAVE ALSO BEEN REPORTED
OUTSIDE OF WAKE COUNTY AS WELL
AS IN OTHER STATES. NOW WE'RE
STILL WORKING TO LEARN EXACTLY
WHAT OTHER COUNTIES HERE IN
NORTH CAROLINA AND WHAT OTHER