Mystery swirls after 70 medical professionals fall ill at same venue where 30 wedding guests got diarrhea

A diarrhea outbreak that engulfed a wedding as well as a medical conference at the same Melbourne, Australia venue may not be linked to food poisoning, as initially thought, according to a food safety expert.

About 30 wedding guests experienced fever, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting after attending a wedding reception at The Park in Albert Park on Saturday night.

Yesterday it was revealed that 70 medical professionals, who attended a conference at the venue two days before the wedding, fell ill with similar symptoms after eating at the venue.

But Gary Kennedy, a food scientist, told the Daily Mail, the outbreak may not have been caused by the food at all.

“The interesting thing in this case is the guests were served different food at the different events,” he said.

“So one thought is that it has nothing to do with the food.

“One of the staff may be sick and non-symptomatic, carrying a food-borne disease, and the other staff don’t realize.”

Mr Kennedy said that if it was caused by food — the obvious culprit would be chicken which was served at both events.

“Another possibility is people may automatically think it might be the meat, but it may not be at all – it may be the salad, the dressing, or the wedding cake, for example,” he said.

“Because only 30 people from the 300 guests [at the wedding] got sick, if I was doing the investigation I would look at what those people ate to cause it.

Bahaa Harb, The Park and River’s Edge venue manager said it was investigating the cause of the ‘reported outbreak’.

“We are working closely with event guests and with council to determine the cause of the outbreak,” Harb said.

A “precautionary deep clean” of the venue was approved by Port Phillip Council, he added.

In a statement sent out following the wedding outbreak, Victoria’s health department said they were also investigating the source of the outbreak.

“The department is aware of a gastroenteritis outbreak involving guests who attended an Albert Park reception center on Saturday,” a spokesman said.

“We’re working with Port Phillip Council to investigate the source of the outbreak and to ensure all appropriate infection prevention and control measures are in place.”

The venue is working with authorities to determine what caused the outbreak.

“We are working closely with event guests and with council to determine the cause of the outbreak,” The Park told the Herald Sun in a statement.

It’s not believed the illness experienced by the wedding guests is linked to the current outbreak of listeria in NSW, Victoria, and Queensland.

What is gastroenteritis?

Gastroenteritis is a short-term illness triggered by the infection and inflammation of the digestive system.

Symptoms can include abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting.

Some of the causes of gastroenteritis include viruses, bacteria, bacterial toxins, parasites, particular chemicals, and some drugs.

The Victoria Department of Health and The Park Melbourne have been contacted for comment.