An Epidemic

More than 600 people have contacted the Onondaga County Health Department to complain of illness contracted after eating at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que.
Officials classified it as an epidemic because it is an "unusually large" number of people reporting the same symptom.
State health officials conducted a number of tests on stool samples (POOP!) of affected customers and on food from the restaurant. Some test results in Friday afternoon have at least preliminarily ruled out bacteria as the cause.
That indicates the cause is likely viral (sounds like an episode of "House"), which means it could be spread through air particles or consuming food that has been exposed to that contaminated air.
Dinosaur closed Thursday for cleaning and will reopen on Monday.
"We're definitely going to open on Monday. And after 20 years in this community, I hope people give us another chance."
Employees spent hours Thursday night discarding hundreds of pounds of prepared foods such as salads, fruit and side dishes, but meats were not discarded because they had not been opened and were not cooked.
Workers also used a disinfectant to sanitize the restaurant areas, including the bar, tables, grills, ventilation system, bathrooms, the kitchen and preparation areas.
Most of the people who reported symptoms to the health department said they ate at the restaurant last weekend - Nov. 24-26.
The symptoms of the illness are primarily vomiting and diarrhea, although a number of people who called with complaints reported abdominal cramps, fever and chills.