Mystery bug shuts Dumfries hotel

Oct 2 2009 by Jackie Grant, Dumfries Standard Friday

A POPULAR Dumfries hotel closed its doors this week after guests and diners fell ill with a mystery bug.

Environmental health officers were called in after 20 people complained of feeling unwell after eating at the Station Hotel.

Owner Aileen McGhie told the Standard she was not ordered to close the three-star hotel, and took the decision to do so herself in a bid to clean the premises from top to bottom.

She said: “A few people fell ill last week after being a guest or a diner at the hotel and we are still waiting for test results. I called environmental health myself and it is assumed it is an outbreak of the Norovirus. Rumours that it is food poisoning are completely false.

“I took the decision to close the hotel so that we could have a proper clean and so that there was no risk of anyone else catching the virus.

“We have professional cleaners in as well as our own staff.”

She added: “We closed on Sunday afternoon and I have been in contact with environmental health officers on a daily basis since then.

“Sixty-three people ate at an event and five of them were ill. The following night we had another 63 people eating from the same menu and none of them were ill.

“Twenty people is not actually a high number considering the hundreds of people we had in the hotel that week.

“We have never had anything like this before and it is very sad. The only time the hotel ever closes is January 2.”

Mrs McGhie said she was hoping the hotel would be open for business by today.

A spokesman for Dumfries and Galloway Council said: “A suspected outbreak of the Norovirus is being investigated by the Public Health Medicine team. Test results are awaited.

“The council’s environmental standards service is aware of the situation and is advising the hotel on control procedures.”

Norovirus is the most common cause of gut infection in the UK. Symptoms include vomiting, nausea and diarrhoea. Usually symptoms last for about two days and most people make a full and speedy recovery.

The bug is spread extremely easily from one person to another by contact with an affected person or eating or drinking contaminated food or water.