Monical’s Pizza in Washington, Illinois, was temporarily closed after being the cause for 155 sick customers. Located at 6 Cherry Tree Shopping Center, Monical’s Pizza closure was initiated by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH).
The cause for the outbreak is believed to be Norovirus, a highly contagious/communicable virus. The final test results are due soon, and the investigation between the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and Tazewell County Health Department is considered to be ongoing. According to the National Food Poisoning Lawyer, Ron Simon, the symptoms of Norovirus can be experienced “…within 24 to 48 hours of exposure. Symptoms may then last up to 60 hours and alleviate on their own, though sometimes further treatment is necessary. Symptoms begin quickly and include stomach cramps, fever, watery diarrhea, chills, headache, fatigue, and muscle soreness. While most of these symptoms aren’t serious, victims must be aware of hydration.” The symptoms of infected Monical consumers include diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea.
On the 28th of November, Monical’s Pizza issued a public statement, reinstating their safety measures and explaining the situation:
“Monical’s Pizza has served millions of meals to guests for over 60 years. The foundation of our business is high quality food served safely. When we learned last week of people feeling ill after visiting our Washington Monical’s restaurant, we contacted the Tazewell County Health Department for guidance. Since then, we have been in continual communication with health officials. We followed their recommendation to close the store while they investigated. The health department has not determined the source of the illness as of this afternoon so we cannot report whether the source was from humans spreading germs or from food. Here’s what we can say. . . during this time, we have performed additional aggressive cleaning, discarded all prepared foods, and reinforced training with our staff on proper food handling. Rest assured that we are meeting the guidelines established by local and state health departments.”
Consumers are encouraged to monitor signs of symptoms closely after eating at Monical’s Pizza, to wash hands thoroughly, and to contact their personal healthcare provider and public health authorities if suspecting food poisoning.
