A norovirus outbreak at a Veterans Administration (VA) Hospital in Oregon has sickened at least 150 people, according to an update on the Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center & Clinics’ Facebook page. About 125 patients and 25 staff members are ill. Access to the facility is being restricted. Veterans at the facility are being asked to stay in their rooms until they recover. The facility is being cleaned.
Norovirus is highly contagious and has an incubation period of 24 hours, and people are contagious for two to three days after symptoms have stopped. Symptoms include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, headache, and fever. The illness is usually not very serious and lasts for a few days, but sometimes dehydration can occur, which can require hospitalization.
To prevent the spread of norovirus, if you are sick do not prepare, handle, or serve food to anyone. Always wash your hands with soap and water after using the bathroom or changing a diaper. Also wash your hands before eating or preparing food. The virus is transmitted by contact; an ill person touches a doorknob or a plate and leaves the virus behind, which can easily be picked up by someone else.
