Almost two dozen people were struck down by a ‘mystery virus’ at an Edinburgh conference centre, with two people, including one heavily pregnant woman, hospitalised due to severe symptoms.
The virus outbreak, which caused nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea, occurred at the Edinburgh Training and Conference Venue on St Mary’s Street in March 2024.
The incident only came to light following a recent Freedom of Information request. The illness broke out just days after several conferences took place on March 26 and 28, with attendees reporting symptoms such as headaches, stomach pain, fatigue, diarrhoea and vomiting.
One delegate was so ill they reported being “unable to drink and eat until Saturday evening” after first falling sick 24 hours earlier. Another described feeling “sick” with a “total lack of energy” and being forced to stay in bed.
Emails exchanged between the training centre and affected companies, seen by Edinburgh Live, revealed that one delegate was still in hospital on April 4, nearly a week after being admitted on March 29.
A delegate stated: “I am still waiting for confirmation on one of our colleagues as they are still in hospital. Another member who is heavily pregnant had to attend hospital as they were severely ill but has since been discharged.”
An independent investigation by the Edinburgh Council’s environmental health team concluded that the illness was “most likely caused by a virus”.
Email correspondence revealed that just three out of 22 delegates from one group escaped falling ill in the immediate aftermath.
Additional emails from another delegation stated: “I have spoken to our CEO who was one of the affected delegates and she advised that alongside herself, four other delegates fell ill with sickness/diarrhoea. – norovirus symptoms.
“Unfortunately, they won’t be able to pinpoint exactly what they ate, but they all had the soup, as well as a mix of meat/veggie sandwiches.”
Authorities initially investigated food poisoning as the potential cause. Attendees were questioned about their meals and timing, when their symptoms began, and what each person experienced, though food-borne illness was subsequently dismissed by investigators.
Edinburgh Training and Conference Venue provides facilities for events, training, conferences, examinations, and mediations.