Bad ham? Health dept.'s Christmas party goes bad

LAWRENCEVILLE -- Phyllis Wells can't yet say precisely what sickened her and dozens of other workers of the county's health department during an office Christmas gathering, but she's got a terrible case of bah humbug.

The head of the Lawrence County Health Department says she still has lingering effects of the illness that left her and 41 others with stomach issues last week after a buffet gathering of 72 people at a southern Illinois restaurant.

"I'm telling you, it got me down. I about passed out and everything else," Wells said Monday. "It's not been funny. It's taken the punch out of my whole Christmas."

Wells says the cause of the outbreak hasn't been pinpointed. But she suspects the culprit was a norovirus -- something people get from contact with those infected, ingesting contaminated food or drink, or by touching contaminated items and then their mouths.

In recent years, cruise ships have become infamous norovirus carriers, with several large outbreaks grabbing headlines. But nursing homes and other long-term care facilities were the scene of many of last winter's outbreaks.

For now, Wells says the common denominator appears to be cold, diced ham served in the salad bar.

"It may be that just a food handler was sick at the time and handled some of the food they prepped for the meal," she said. "Or maybe it was somebody who was sick who came to it and touched the handle and contaminated it."

Wells says it isn't lost on her that state health officials are now investigating a restaurant where food-inspection and other public health workers got sick.

"It's just my luck," she said, mustering a laugh. "Usually, it's our job to investigate other things. But us getting sick is ironic."

There was no answer Monday at the restaurant. Wells says it's her understanding the business hasn't reopened since the outbreak.