42 Sickened At Jersey Shore Hotel Wedding: Reports

Forty-two of the 150 people who attended a wedding at a Jersey Shore hotel last month reportedly fell ill within two days of the reception.

State health officials were also notified about what one official called a "suspicious outbreak," according to nj.com. The hotel also confirmed the sickness.

Food poisoning or a norovirus is the most likely reason why dozens of people who were at the April 30 wedding at the Flanders Hotel in Ocean City became sickened, Cape May County health officials told The Press of Atlantic City.

The hotel passed an inspection when it learned that guests got sick, and the mother of the bride told The Press that she doesn't fault the Flanders.

Norovirus is a very contagious virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

You can get norovirus from an infected person, contaminated food or water, or by touching contaminated surfaces. The virus causes your stomach or intestines or both to get inflamed, or acute gastroenteritis. This leads you to have stomach pain, nausea, and diarrhea and to throw up, according to the CDC.

Anyone can be infected with norovirus and get sick. Also, you can have norovirus illness many times in your life. Norovirus illness can be serious, especially for young children and older adults, the CDC says.

Norovirus is the most common cause of acute gastroenteritis in the United States. Each year, it causes 19-21 million illnesses and contributes to 56,000-71,000 hospitalizations and 570-800 deaths. Norovirus is also the most common cause of foodborne-disease outbreaks in the United States.

The best way to help prevent norovirus is to practice proper hand washing and general cleanliness.

Photo: By Smallbones - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10516503