Norovirus, what many people call "stomach flu" is the most common cause of gastroenteritis in the U.S. and its peak season coincides with the holiday season, November-January. Each year, about 20 million Americans get the stomach bug that causes vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal cramps, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Norovirus is extremely contagious and spreads quickly in crowded places like crowded, closed places such as preschools, daycare centers, nursing homes, schools, hotels, and cruise ships. You can get it by touching a contaminated surface, eating or drinking food that is contaminated, or having direct contact with someone who has it. It takes fewer than 20 particles of the virus to make someone sick and the virus can live on hard surfaces … [Read more...]
Dozens Sick at Sawmill Creek Resort Convention in Ohio
The Sandusky Register reports that about 44 people are sick after attending a Creative Health Care Management Convention at the Sawmill Creek Resort in Huron, Ohio. The convention ran from September 10 to 13, 2013, and about 300 people were in attendance. Food served at the conference is being tested, and public health officials are also running tests on stool samples from the ill persons. About 100 questionnaires were passed out to attendees to try to pinpoint the cause of the illness. Officials suspect norovirus, since most people became sick suddenly. One sample did come back positive for the virus. Officials are stressing that inspections have not yet linked the illnesses to the Resort or food served at the convention. No conclusions have been drawn at this time. … [Read more...]
Sacramento Mulvaney’s Norovirus Outbreak Updated
The outbreak of norovirus at Mulvaney's restaurant in Sacramento we told you about in March has been confirmed and updated. Laura McCasland, Communication & Media Officer of the Sacramento County Department of Health & Human Services told us that 138 people were sickened in this outbreak. The ill persons ate at the restaurant between Friday, February 22 and Tuesday, February 26, 2013. During the week of February 17 to February 24, 2013, at least six food service workers reported that they were ill. People started gettting sick between Friday, February 22, 2013 and Thursday, February 28, 2013. The cause of the illness was norovirus. The restaurant was inspected February 13, 2013 and passed. Public health officials suspect that the foods that are associated with the risk of … [Read more...]
New Research Finds That Copper Kills Norovirus
New research presented last week at the American Society for Microbiology's 2013 general meeting showed that copper can destroy norovirus. The research was conducted at the University of Southampton. That virus causes more than 20 million illnesses in the United States every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and norovirus causes 267 million infections worldwide every year. Norovirus is extremely contagious and often affects people in contained situations, such as cruise ships and retirement homes. It is spread through person-to-person contact, contact with contaminated objects, and through food and drink. Scientists discovered that norovirus is quickly destroyed on contact with copper. The researchers think that copper alloy surfaces can be used in … [Read more...]
Norovirus is Top Food Poisoning Cause in Canada
Norovirus causes about one fourth of all food poisoning cases in Canada each year, according to a new study published in the May issue of the journal Foodborne Pathogens and Disease. About 4 million Canadians, one in every eight, are sickened by food poisoning each year, according to the study. Norovirus is also the leading cause of food poisoning in the U.S. where one in six people, or about 48 million, are stricken by foodborne illness each year. The Canadian study looked at illnesses reported from a variety of sources including: the Canadian Notifiable Disease Surveillance System, the National Enteric Surveillance Program, enhanced national listeriosis surveillance, the provincial reportable disease surveillance system, national studies on gastrointestinal illness and C-EnterNet … [Read more...]
Texas A&M Researchers Kill Norovirus in Oysters with Electron Beam
Researchers at Texas A&M University have developed a way to pasteurize oysters without chemicals or heat using an electron beam. A study measuring the method’s efficacy on norovirus and hepatitis A appears in the June issue of the scientific journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology. Hepatitis A is virus that causes a liver disease that can last for weeks or months, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Symptoms include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, clay-colored bowel movements, joint pain and jaundice. Symptoms usually develop two to six weeks after exposure and can last up to six months. Sometimes called “the stomach flu,” norovirus is an extremely contagious virus responsible for half of all … [Read more...]
Possible Norovirus Outbreak at Hilton Benefit in Westchester, New York
About 100 people who attended a benefit for the Pelham Picture House in Rye Brook have been sickened with a gastrointestinal illness. The event was held at the Hilton Westchester. Public health officials from Westchester County suspect norovirus is the cause of the illnesses. One person has been hospitalized. Patients are experiencing diarrhea and vomiting. The Health Department press release states norovirus may be the cause, saying it is "a stomach bug whose symptoms are vomiting and diarrhea. We are reaching out to interview all those who may be affected to help determine the source of the illness and to identify any new cases. We don't know how many are affected yet." Hilton is cooperating with the investigation and released a statement saying the hotel "is making every effort to … [Read more...]
Norovirus Leading Cause of Severe Gastroenteritis in Children
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released information about a new study that shows norovirus is the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis among children less than five who seek medical care. The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Norovirus caused almost 1 million pediatric medical visits for 2009 and 2010 in the United States. Dr. Daniel Payne, an epidemiologist in the Division of Viral Diseases at the CDC said, "Infants and young children are very susceptible to norovirus infections, which often result in a high risk of getting dehydrated from the sudden onset of intense vomiting and severe diarrhea. Our study estimates that 1 in 278 U.S. children will be hospitalized for norovirus illness by the time they turn 5 years of age. It is … [Read more...]
Diluted Pesticides Could Put Norovirus in Food Chain
A new study published in the International Journal of Food Microbiology has found that pesticides reconstituted with contaminated water could be a source of norovirus in the food chain. Farmers use well water, lake water, and river water to produce fruits and vegetables. That water is used to dilute pesticides, which are applied to fields just before produce is harvested. This extends shelf life. Researchers looked at the levels of culturable norovirus in eight different pesticides, right after dilution and after two hours. MNV-1, the murine norovirus, was found to remain infectious in seven of the eight pesticides. The scientists conclude that water containing norovirus could be an important source of the virus in fresh produce chains. The pesticides did not kill norovirus. The … [Read more...]
Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas Has Norovirus Outbreak
The Royal Caribbean cruise ship Vision of the Seas has reported an outbreak of norovirus that has sickened at least 118 passengers and 3 crew members. The ship had 1,991 passengers on board and 772 crew members, which means 5.3% of the those on board were sickened. The ship docked in Port Everglades, Florida on Friday March 8, 2013 and was thoroughly cleaned and sanitized before its next journey. Passengers "responded well to treatment", according to the company. Norovirus is an extremely contagious disease that causes vomiting, stomach pain, and severe diarrhea. Most people recover within a few days, but some can be severely dehydrated and require hospitalization. Other complications can include swelling of the brain, seizures, hypovolemic shock, kidney failure, and … [Read more...]
