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Number of Stomach Flu Cases Up from Fager's Island Festival

oceancity.com

OCEAN CITY, Md. (AP) - The number of people who got sick after attending an oyster and beer festival in Ocean City, Maryland, has increased. And health officials are still trying to determine the cause of the illnesses.

The Baltimore Sun reported Monday that the number of people who got sick has grown to 164. They've suffered from symptoms of gastroenteritis, or inflammation of the lining of the intestines. It's caused by a bacteria, parasites or viruses.

Those who are sick had attended the "Shell Shocked" beer and oyster festival at Fager's Island restaurant on Nov. 4.

Local health officials inspected the facility on Saturday and made sure employees who had been sick in the previous 48 hours were not working.

The restaurant remains open, and hosted a similar festival last Saturday.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.