Vancouver restaurant closed after 22 fall ill
SALMON CREEK, Wash. -- A Salmon Creek restaurant was closed after 22 people became ill with gastroenteritis.
The people fell ill last weekend after visiting Billygan’s Roadhouse. County health officials suspect viral gastroenteritis because all patrons’ symptoms included nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, according to a news release from Clark County Public Health.
Health officials closed the restaurant, 13200 N.E. Highway 99, Friday for at least 48 hours, so staff can clean and sanitize all surfaces and equipment and discard potentially contaminated food.
The source of the contamination has not been specified.
Health officials said they are working with restaurant staff to ensure they are properly storing food and frequently washing their hands.
Those who fell ill recovered in an average of 27 hours and did not need medical care, the news release said. Still, gastroenteritis illnesses, such as Norovirus, are common this time of year and are highly contagious.
The illness can cause dehydration in infants, young children, elderly and people with poor immune systems, health officials said.
Most likely from an employee who's been exposed to family or their child has been ill. In this horrific economy, people...especially in the service industry, definitely cannot afford to miss work! Their child is home sick, they go to work anyway...first hand exposure and all. In this day and age people who are themselves ill, still can't afford to miss a day! I volunteer in the public school system and have for many years. I have never seen a "flu" season such as this one! So many kids out everyday! Throwing up in their classrooms, and nurse's office....you have to know that as many parents are exposed to all this illness, yet they leave their kids with a sitter and go to work! Sending your child to school in such a condition puts everyone else at great risk as well!Â
Norovirus is so highly contagious and not always diagnosed. This particular illness is contagious just from exposure as well as for up to a week after having the virus! You may feel better but you are carrying and spreading the virus, everyday after. Most times hand sanitizer and Airborne do not work to prevent it.
Employers, if you do not wish to be sued from the outcome of such an "outbreak", not saying that is what has specifically happened in this case, then you will look into your "pto" or "sick" day policies. Give employees at least a week to two weeks to recover from such illnesses, paid time off. PAID. So that they can take the time they need to recover, or to help their loved ones recover. My mother worked for a bank for 30+ years and raised four kids on her own. She used to panic if one of became ill because she wasn't allowed to stay home to care for us, nor herself once exposed. Sad.
We need to prioritize our values and ethics regarding employees personal health and fitness, as well as the wellbeing of their families...in order to care for the customers well being too. When you don't give the employee sufficient paid time off to be completely virus free upon returning to work, you should be sued for putting your customers at risk.
PAID TIME OFF FOR PERSONAL AND FAMILY ILLNESS. NO EXCUSES.
Funny to watch the video of the morons rattling the doors while reading the notice and wanting to go in and eat. Try the dumpster out back. Yummy.
Chef Ramsey would not approve! He would be like "What is all that slimy sht all over the place? Shut it down before you get everyone sick! Shut it down NOW!!!"
WOW, closed right before the Super Bowl of NASCAR racing. Where will the rednecks of this area congregate now? Is there another Patrick Swayze Roadhouse for these people? Somewhere to suck on peanut shells and toss them on the floor. A restaurant that promotes throwing saliva soaked food waste on the floor deserves to be closed. Goodbye Billygan's.
It may not have had anything to do with the cleanliness of the restaurant...one box of contaminated lettuce...from Mexico...or???, and a couple of the heads made into a salad, one big bowl of contaminated lettuce served to 20+ people and you have 20 sick people. Most dinner meals start with a salad...but by the time the health department would get there to inspect, the lettuce (proof) would have been served or thrown out. And further indication is that they scored perfect only 3 months ago. Dirty restaurants get that way over time. Contaminated fresh vegatables are already that way when you get them...(usually)!
Even scarier, their county health inspection reports look pretty good. They scored perfect in November, 2012
Go to: http://www.clark.wa.gov/public-health/food/inspections.html an enter "Billygan's Roadhouse" (case sensitive)
Seems spendy
It is amazing how many people do not wash their hands after using the toilet. It is amazing how the germiest place in the restaurant is the menu yet no one bothers to go wash their hands after reading it before picking up that first piece of bread of chip with their bare hand and putting it into their mouth.
@whirledworld Amazing!
@_Ptown_Â @whirledworld and horrifying...
Probably a cook who was sick and afraid of losing his job if he called in sick.
I have avoided the place just by the stupid name alone, now I have another, more permanent reason.
I live right by there. Lot of friends go there for happy hour and stuff. Yikes....
Norovirus goes around every year. No way to stop it.
@RalphCramden Wash you hands, for one bright idea. Avoid sick people is another. Wear a mask if you are sick or around sick people is another. Keep your hands away from your face too.
@whirledworld
We need to get signs for people who are sick so that we know to avoid them.
Now what do we do with the people are are sick and haven't gotten any symptoms yet?
I guess the best way to not get norovirus is to just move out into the wilderness and avoid everyone.
@whirledworld
Most people don't know they are sick because they haven't built up enough of a culture to get sick. Yet they are still passing the bug around.
Plus most people can't afford to take the time off work.
@RalphCramden @whirledworld More like loudly educate, educate, educate people to stay home if they are sick and to wash their hands all the time anyway. My goodness we were taught this in kindergarten but it seems no one does it anymore.Â
My mom's nursing home had bouts of it and I avoided going there when it was going on to avoid getting/spreading it...and if I did get it, I stayed home til I was over it. Pretty simple things that the Health Dept. mumbles about but most people ignore it and spread illness.
Used to live right by there and ate there a few times. Now I know why I never touched those peanuts. Yuck!!
Everything in public areas such as cities is turning into a bete noir science fiction movie! I am getting to the point that I don't want to eat out, or buy anything I can't produce anything myself! Where is the great government protecting us from our own overeating or eating things that aren't fit for human consumption. I thought there were government agencies watching over the quality of our food, and the handling of our food? Did that go away somewhere? Or is it the liberal thing to do to avoid responsibility for the health of the citizens that voted these eggheads into office. Perhaps its a way to cut down on the population! Maybe we should just all start eating tacos, enchiladas, etc.Â
OK, media folks, how does someone "fall ill"? Do they fall to the floor and writhe around with arms flailing, while wildly gesticulating about some problem in their tummies? Or do they actually acquire an illness related to food-borne pathogens?
@jpk it is standard English as a phrase used for generations in the US
I remember the last time I had Norovirus. If I even thought about passing gas I was doing laundry. I think I'll stay home tonight and eat.
This is why I don't eat out much. Beside the cost, I'd rather know how my food is being prepared or how old it is. I will also know that, if I do get sick, it's my own dang fault.
@Kymberlie2873 I'm getting that way too. It's like a damn gamble these days........
@Liberty4_WAÂ @Kymberlie2873 and yet the restaurants and cafes and pubs are jam-packed with people
@disgustedman Tell me about it: my brother was in ER then admitted a couple of weeks ago for a heart issue and I loathed going to the ER because...sure enough! I came down with viral hell a matter of a few days after wading through the sick masses there. Yuck.
WW so are the hospitals. ;)
i'm sick of stories like this
Ugh! Shudder about the Norovirus. Yuck!
They wanted to wait for the 22nd person to fall ill, just to be sure.
Dirty Dinning at it's finest....LOL
Good to see it got shut down! The last time I ate there, I asked for a medium rare 10 ounce steak, and got a three ounce charchol briquet!
But.................did you get sick from crunching through it? Caveat emptor rules!
Good thing it was not salmonella in salmon creek
A big part of the story is missing. How did public health get involved? Someone had to have been reporting a cluster of illnesses for them to investigate and close the place, yet the story says no one needed medical care. Huh?
@ormom I would guess that a party of folks all got sick and so had the right idea to call the health dept. and report it
After seeing a customer come from straight from the mens room only to dip his hand into the barrel of peanuts......I'm not surprised.
Haha, I'm sure that's not the only thing that's been caught after a night at Billygans.
I just ate there two weekends ago. Timing IS everything...
well played...dodged a bullet