20 Jun 2012
Well over a dozen council employees suffered sickness and diarrhoea following buffets served during internal staff meetings.
Sunderland Council has now launched an investigation and is speaking to the caterers to try and find out the cause of the outbreak which left 18 employees ill.
Though none of the cases required hospital treatment or are thought to have been serious many of those hit by sickness after the civic centre meetings last Monday and Tuesday had to take time off and were advised to prevent it spreading by staying away from work for 48 hours.
Norma Johnston assistant head of Sunderland Council’s Street Scene unit said all 25 staff who attended the two separate internal meetings were contacted with all but one of those who suffered symptoms now back at work.
She added: “The caterer for each of the events is fully co-operating with the investigation to establish the cause of the outbreak of illness.”
Copyright Press Association 2012