Dozens of people fell ill after dining at a Florida restaurant, causing a public health scare. An investigation has been launched into Yoko’s Traditional Japanese Restaurant on South MacDill Avenue in South Tampa after numerous persons reported developing similar gastrointestinal symptoms. The apparent outbreak has left many recovering at home.
An affected diner spoke to Fox 13, sharing that the ordeal began last Tuesday when she went to the eatery with her friends. She initially enjoyed her experience at the restaurant and described her meal, saying it was “the best sushi I’d ever had”. However, she developed gastrointestinal symptoms the following day. She confirmed that she fell ill from the food at the restaurant when her friends also got ill that day.
Fox 13 reported that the diner shared her experience in a private Facebook group. Soon, more than 60 individuals joined the online chatter, detailing the gastrointestinal illnesses they experienced after dining at Yoko’s between Tuesday and Saturday.
The Florida Department of Health has been inundated with reports from affected customers, and the restaurant’s owners confirmed that they promptly alerted health officials upon learning about the cluster of illnesses. State investigators were seen at Yoko’s on Tuesday as part of an ongoing epidemiological inquiry.
A report from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation noted that an employee who reported feeling unwell was allowed to work on March 30, only to be sent home later, per the report. However, officials have not pinpointed a definitive cause of the outbreak.
Medical expert Dr Amber Stephens, a family physician, weighed in on the situation, explaining that there are multiple bacteria and viruses that can lead to the symptoms reported by the diners. In a statement to the news outlet, she said, “If it’s all coming from basically the same restaurant, it is going to some sort of food-borne illness.”
She added that norovirus is particularly insidious, as individuals can continue to shed the virus for up to two weeks even after symptoms subside. She emphasised that standard cleaning practices may not be enough to eliminate it.
According to the news outlet, the restaurant’s owners expressed their dismay at the reports of illness and noted that they have been in operation for almost 30 years. “We are very troubled to hear that any of our customers are ill,” they stated. “As soon as it was brought to our attention, we closed down the restaurant and did an advanced cleaning and disinfection to eliminate any source of possible contamination… We are working closely with both the Department of Hotels and Restaurants and the Department of Health and have implemented extra food handling precautions to add additional layers of protection.”