Outback Steakhouse responds to claims of illness

Harford County reports outbreak of illnesses; Cause not yet determined 

Patients have complained of nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping and diarrhea.

 BEL AIR, Md. —A Harford County restaurant is responding to claims that customers got sick amid an outbreak of illnesses in the county in which a source hasn't yet been identified.

WBAL-TV 11 News has received viewer calls saying they ate at the Outback Steakhouse off Baltimore Pike in Bel Air and got sick. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping and diarrhea.

The company that owns Outback told 11 News that it would be premature to call the restaurant the root of the illness; however, it said it has taken precautions just in case.

"The health and safety of our employees and customers is our top priority. We have worked closely with Harford County Health Department to ensure our high food safety standards are practiced each and every day. As a precaution, on Friday, we took additional thorough cleaning measures following reports of illness," said company spokeswoman Elizabeth Watts.

The Harford County Health Department has not identified a cause of the recent outbreak of illnesses as lab tests remain pending.

Harford County Health Department spokesman Bill Wiseman said the number of complaints from customers of the restaurant is beyond coincidental, but there is no evidence showing that the restaurant is the source of the outbreak.

Wiseman said preliminary results suggest it's a run-of-the-mill norovirus and that it's viral, not bacterial or a food-borne illness.

The possibility that someone may have contracted the illness at Outback is possible, but it's not because of the food, Wiseman said.

The number of cases the Health Department has received is not extraordinary, and they typically see peaks at this time of year, Wiseman said.

The Health Department will have a final determination in a few days when test results come back.

Health officials stressed frequent hand-washing.