More than 20 individuals fell ill with a puzzling virus during an event at an Edinburgh conference center, leading to two people, including a pregnant woman, being hospitalized due to severe symptoms initially mistaken for food poisoning. The incident took place in March 2024 at the Edinburgh Training and Conference Venue on St Mary’s Street and was brought to light following a recent Freedom of Information request.
The outbreak, which caused attendees to experience headaches, stomach pains, fatigue, diarrhea, and vomiting, occurred shortly after several conferences held on March 26 and 28. One attendee reported being too unwell to eat or drink until Saturday evening after falling ill 24 hours earlier, while another described feeling sick and fatigued, confined to bed.
Email correspondences between the training center and affected companies revealed that one delegate remained hospitalized on April 4, nearly a week after being admitted on March 29. A delegate mentioned that a colleague was still in the hospital, while a heavily pregnant member who had been severely ill had been discharged.
An independent investigation by the Edinburgh Council’s environmental health team determined that the illness was likely caused by a virus. Only three out of 22 delegates from one group managed to avoid getting sick initially, according to email exchanges. Further emails from another delegation indicated that the CEO and four other delegates experienced symptoms resembling norovirus, possibly from consuming soup and a variety of sandwiches.
Initially, food poisoning was suspected as the source of the illness. Attendees were questioned about their food consumption, the timing of their symptoms, and their experienced ailments; however, investigators eventually ruled out food-borne illness.
The Edinburgh Training and Conference Venue, known for hosting various events and activities, along with the Edinburgh Council, were contacted for comments.