Diners at Edinburgh USA Golf Course clubhouse possibly ill with 'fecal/oral' disease

The Minnesota Department of Health is investigating a possible norovirus outbreak traced to a Brooklyn Park restaurant and banquet facility.

There are potentially dozens of illnesses among diners who ate at the Edinburgh USA Golf Course clubhouse during a football event on Sunday.

Norovirus, a gastrointestinal disease, spreads very easily through contaminated food, Health Department spokesman Doug Schultz said. The holidays mark its peak season.

"It's a fecal/oral disease," he said. "It basically comes from having fecal matter typically on your hands and then coming in contact with food and then people eat the food and they get sick."

Schultz says if norovirus is confirmed, it was likely transmitted by an ill food service employee.

"You're very ill for a couple of days with vomiting and diarrhea, but most people recover after two or three days and it is seldom very serious," he said.