A University of North Dakota outbreak has sickened an unnamed number of students, according to news reports. The outbreak is being investigated by the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services as well as Grand Forks Public Health Department and UND Student Health Services.
A statement form the University reads, “UND is aware of reports of illness potentially associated with Wilkerson Dining Facility from Aug. 22-24. The University is working closely with the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services as it investigates. The health and safety of our campus community remain our top priority, and we will provide updates as appropriate. As of mid-day, Thursday, Sept. 3, UND is not aware of any specific findings from the Health Department that link any of the reported Aug. 22-24 illnesses directly to the Wilkerson Complex.”
The students who got sick reportedly ate at Wilkerson Dining Center, which is located ate 3450 University Avenue in Grand Forks. This facility serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and accepts the university’s meal plan, credit cards, and debit cards.
An investigation is ongoing to try to identify the scope of the illness outbreak and to identify potential causes. Records from the North Dakota Health & Human Services shows that violations were found at the three most recent inspection of Wilkerson Dining Center.
At the most recent inspection, the inspector said that the reach-in cooler in allergy food prep was holding meats products above 41°F. and items in the waffle area, such as batter and whipped cream, were held above 41°F. This puts those foods in the danger zone, between 40°F and 140°F, where bacterial counts can double every 20 minutes.
On the other two inspections, the state refrigerator with allergens was hiding beef and chicken above 41°F, and meatballs were not held at 135°F or higher aft the time of inspection.
We don’t know if any of those items are related to this outbreak, and we don’t know which pathogen has made students sick.
