MANKATO, Minn. - Health officials are investigating an outbreak that sickened dozens of people at the Verizon Wireless Center in Mankato last week.

A Minnesota Department of Health spokesman say the outbreak appears to be a norovirus. The virus is spread through contact with fecal matter.

The Free Press ( http://bit.ly/TeoKm0) reports it's too soon to determine if the illness was spread through food at the civic center.

More than 50 people were sickened after a Greater Mankato Growth event a week ago, attended by more than 460 people. The health department also has received reports of people who contracted the illness after attending a civic center event for veterans last Wednesday.

Norovirus causes vomiting, nausea or diarrhea. The virus is usually not considered serious and most people recover in one or two days.

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Information from: The Free Press, http://www.mankatofreepress.com