Food poisoning at top hotel suspected

Press, 21 December 1978, Page 6

Food poisoning at top hotel suspected

PA Wellington An outbreak o.f suspected food poisoning affected more than 50 Christmas revellers after they ate at the James Cook Hotel; Wellington, on Monday and Tuesday. Health Departntent officers moved into the luxurious hotel yesterday to try to locate the source of the food poisoning. The Wellington district office of the department received its first complaint at 9 a.m. yesterday. It is believed that' more than; 50 persons were affect- • ed by the hotel's smorgas-I borci lunch on Tuesday, while more suffered on Monday. Many were employees of the A.M.P. Insurance Company, 'which was also affected last Christmas when .employees attended luncheons at another Wellington hotel. A big outbreak of food poisoning then left more than 300 persons violently ill. The managing director of the James Cook Hotel (Mr P. Meikle) said yesterday that the complaints were not the result of food poisoning. “Our theory is that it is the wine,” he said. !'

i However, he had approached the Heaith Department tc I take samples of the estimated > 200 varieties of food which > had been offered in the ! smorgasbord. i The situation soundec worse than cases in the past ! but “there is always somei one who gets a tummy ache i. at this time of the year.” The cause rtf last year’s outbreak at other Wellington ■ hotels has never been deter- ' mined by the Health Depart- • ment. After almost 12 months of laboratory,tests on hun- ' [dreds of food and human- ' waste samples, the , National [Health Institute finally gave up trying to pinpoint the germ. After the outbreak, the kitchens at the Hotel Waterloo were closed and, with a dining room, underwent extensive renovations at an estimated cost of $40,000, The. General Manager of the James Cook Hotel (Mr J. Hadimioglu) said his hotel had served 5000 meals in the last 10 days, with 365 persons being served at Tuesday’s smorgasbord. Persons who had become ill were not suffering from: food poisoning. It was} “Christmas sickness” which) resulted when persons had I “too many cheers and tqd| much to eat.” j “People . who come forb Christmas lunches pile their!! plates with rich desserts’'

[covered in kirsch, brandy or [sherry, full of cream and .’chocolate, and their stomachs .'are not used to it,” said Mr • Hadimioglu. He had explained to customers who had called with .'complaints that it was not caused bv bacteria: it was, ’rather, “a disagreement with 'their stomachs.” Meanwhile, a man living in Hastings has become ill with typhoid and 19 other persons, including a child, aged three, living at Titahi Bay, are being checked lo see if they have contracred the disease. ! The Napier health district’s principal inspector of’ ’health (Mr C. Wilcox) said’ (the man had been suffering) i abdominal pains for two I Weeks before he was diagnosed as having, the bacterial infection. The man had travelled to Hastings from Northland two months ago. While In Northland he had been closely associated with a man who had had typhoid many years ago and who may still he a carrier. The Titahi Bay child, whj was being sought by Wellington Health Department staff, had also travelled from) Northland to Hastings and had subsequently travelled; to Titahi Bay. Apart from the child, all) other contacts of the man! >vere living in three Hastings’® tomes. All these vere being tested. ' c

1 Soecer.—lti English F.A. Cup second-round replays Southend United beat Watford, 1-0, and Worcester City lost to Newport County. .1-2.