Outbreak of norovirus infection associated with contaminated flood water, Salzburg, 2005

An outbreak of gastrointestinal illness in American tourists in May-June 2005 that was first thought to be foodborne has been linked to direct exposure to floodwater contaminated with raw sewage. On 1 June 2005, ORF (the Austrian Broadcasting Company) reported that 26 out of 36 American tourists who had eaten dinner in a well-known restaurant in Salzburg had fallen ill. According to the news report, 10 of the ill tourists had presented to a local hospital, triggering an outbreak investigaton by the local health authorities, who assumed salmonella to be the causative agent.