A virulent stomach virus has 400 people streaming every day in the hospital emergency rooms in New York City, according to the department of health.

The virus been spreading for weeks, and authorities report a 19 percent jump in infections during the last two weeks.

Officials said the “norovirus,” also known as the highly contagious stomach flu, usually lasts a few days, but warned to wash their hands regularly to avoid the virus.

“Norovirus infection is a miserable experience, and can be serious if you become dehydrated,” said Sharon Balter, an epidemiologist at the health department.

New Yorkers can contract the infection by sharing food or drinks with an infected person, coming into contact with their vomit, using their utensils or changing the diaper of a sick child, doctors

The health department warned those who get the bug, particularly if they are children, to stay home and rest until the illness passes.

“If you get sick with diarrhea or vomiting, stay home so that you don’t spread the infection to others,” she said.

There is typically a surge in stomach bug cases this time of year. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, stomach cramping, fever, chills, aches and exhaustion.

The flu vaccine does not prevent the norovirus.

– by Gene J. Koprowski, Editorial Director

Posted: November 10th, 2008 under Diseases, Norwalk-Like Viruses.
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The number of students at the University of Southern California (USC) sickened by the norovirus has increased to nearly 275, according to university officials.

Students with symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramps have been treated at campus medical clinics for the last few days. Students who suffered serious dehydration were given intravenous fluids and about 10 were briefly hospitalized, often because other medical conditions put them at risk.

The school has been disinfecting dorms and dining halls to limit further spread of the virus. Classes and other campus functions have been kept on a normal schedule.

According to Dr. Lawrence Neinstein, executive director of the health center on USC’s main campus, the number of students seeking medical care appeared to be declining Sunday and today after the initial reports of illness on Friday and Saturday. “The trend is good,” he said.

As reported earlier by Infection Protection & Control, Georgetown University in Washington is experiencing a similar viral outbreak, with more than 200 students there sickened since last week, according to that university. Dr. Jonathan Fielding, Los Angeles County director of public health, noted that colleges are vulnerable to such illnesses because they include “large numbers of people in close contact.” Military barracks, cruise ships, and some conventions can be too, he said.

University officials emphasized that the problem was not caused by any food contamination. Over the weekend, a campus dining facility called “Everybody’s Kitchen” was closed for a few hours while Los Angeles County health inspectors examined and found no evidence of any contamination, according to campus spokesman James Grant. The facility was then reopened.

Symptoms of the virus are short-lived, lasting one to two days. However, Neinstein said that students still can be contagious for many days, even after they are feeling better.

– by Gene J. Koprowski, Editorial Director

The norovirus has claimed victims at USC and Georgetown. Is there a patient who has traveled between the schools, carrying the infection?

Posted: October 7th, 2008 under Diseases, Norwalk-Like Viruses.
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A norovirus epidemic is being blamed for sickening more than 170 Georgetown University students this week, according to officials who were working desperately yesterday to contain the virus and limit its spread.

Students were nauseated, vomiting and dehydrated. Nearly all of them were treated at hospitals and released, but one student was admitted for observation. The virus can cause stomach cramping, fever, headaches and diarrhea, but the quick-onset illness typically lasts only a day or two, according to the federal government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“For most people, this is not a major problem. The virus is self-limiting,” said Pierre Vigilance, director of the Washington D.C. Department of Health. “That is especially true for healthy, college-age students; it would be of much greater concern among a population of elderly, very young or immune-compromised people.”

The virus — actually a group of viruses — spreads easily and swiftly through direct contact with an infected person or with contaminated food, drink or objects. There have been outbreaks on cruise ships and in hotels in recent years.

On campus, many students were nervous and afraid with so many of their friends brought down in recent days.

– by Gene J. Koprowski, Editorial Director

Georgetown University is the epicenter of a Norvirus epidemic in Washington.

Posted: October 3rd, 2008 under Diseases, Norwalk-Like Viruses.
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Rapid response teams will soon be attached to every hospital ward in South Wales in the U.K. in a massive move to reduce infection rates.

Health Minister Edwina Hart is ordering every National Health Service hospital to set up a fast response cleaning team, which can be mobilized to carry out deep cleaning after infection outbreaks, including Norovirus, Clostridium difficile, and MRSA.

The policy is designed to boost standards of cleanliness in hospitals and give patients the confidence that they are being treated in a safe environment.

They are among a package of measures announced following a series of recommendations made by the empowering task and finish group, which publishes its report today.

Mrs. Hart added: “We are already working hard to improve hospital cleanliness. The overall infection rate in Wales is lower than that in England and Scotland. However, we are not complacent which is why I am accepting the recommendations of today’s report. These new measures will strengthen our efforts to tackle infections.”

Hart said that cleanliness is everybody’s responsibility – not only that of the hospital staff, but of patients and visitors too.

– by Gene J. Koprowski, MA, Editorial Director

Cleaning teams a priority.

Posted: June 26th, 2008 under Clostridium difficile, Developing Diseases, Impaired Immunity, MRSA, Norwalk-Like Viruses.
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A new concern is emerging in medicine — infection protection and control in dental office waiting rooms.

The Organization for Safety and Asepsis Procedures addresses the topic in its May issue in a feature entitled, “The Reception Room” is a feature in the May issue of the OSAP’s association publication Infection Control in Practice.

The article is aimed at helping dental professionals recognize sites in the reception room that need constant attention with regard to cleanliness and infection control, and is the second installment of a new series on compartmentalizing infection control policies and procedures.

Patients, caregivers and the the dental team are all at risk of infection in the waiting room. The article reports that there are new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as to how to control infection in the reception area, and provide disease prevention information for patients.

– by The Editors

The dental office — next place where MRSA will flourish?

Posted: June 4th, 2008 under Diseases, Herpes-Cold Sores, Influenza, Meningitis, Mumps, Norwalk-Like Viruses, Pneumonia, Rubella.
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A senior executive at the health ministry said this week that the ministry is investigating whether a norovirus infection was behind more than 4,000 diarrhea cases reported in the Turkish town of Aksaray, according to news media reports in Europe.

According to Turan Buzgan, a deputy undersecretary at the health ministry, the government is investigating whether there was norovirus in the samples taken from the city’s water system. Noroviruses are transmitted by fecally contaminated food or water and by person-to-person contact and causes approximately 90 percent of epidemic non-bacterial outbreaks of gastroenteritis around the world. “The results of our studies rely on scientific data. They are based on epidemiological studies and laboratory analyses,” said Buzgan.

He also stated that the ministry had been closely monitoring the diarrhea cases in the city since they broke out and sent an expert health team to the region.

After the outbreak in Aksaray, experts from the health ministry advised people to wash fruit and vegetables well before eating them and to boil water that will be used for drinking. They also said basic rules of hygiene, including washing hands, should be steadfastly observed.

An outbreak of diarrhea cases first appeared in the province on May 13. Health experts there determined that the outbreak stemmed from contaminated water.

– by Gene J. Koprowski, Editorial Director

Norwalk-like viruses seen in Turkey.

Posted: May 22nd, 2008 under Diseases, Norwalk-Like Viruses.
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An increase in norovirus attacks globally has prompted a reexamination of the infection control and public health measures in place. The Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC), based in Atlanta, estimates indicate that 23 million cases of norovirus each year in the U.S., and approximately 310 deaths.

CDC epidemiologist Marc-Alain Widdowson, who is trained as a veterinarian, attributes the current recrudescence to novel viral strains. His team identified the geno-group II/4 that was responsible for 2002 gastroenteritis outbreaks in Europe during spring and summer. During 2006-2007, the “Minerva and Laurens strains” of the virus were detected in the U.S. and elsewhere. But, he notes, the current strain has yet to be identified.

There has been increased reporting of cases in Canada, and also possible new strains, says Andrea Ellis, a veterinarian and the interim director, Outbreak Management Center for Foodborne, Environmental and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases of the Public Health Agency of Canada. At least 300 to 400 outbreaks were reported each year since 2002 compared with less than 100 in previous years, she notes.

According to Johanna Takkinen, an epidemiologist, and the norovirus expert at the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Stockholm, Sweden, the growing epidemic is attributed to new mutants circulating in new seasons. This includes the strains 2006a and 2006b, which prevailed during the last two seasons. “Research has shown that new strains seem to evolve in cycles of approximately one-to-two year intervals. While the infection is more active during winter, the reason for the current two high consecutive seasons is unknown,” she says.

Though usually self-limiting, and not very dangerous, the virus spreads rapidly in nursing homes, hospitals, day care centers, schools, cruise ships, and other closed community settings, attacking vulnerable individuals simultaneously. An infection with just a handful of norovirus bugs can make you sick, says Dr. Ellis. The disease often starts with vomiting, and is quite contagious. However, more severe symptoms and even death can result in the elderly and immunocompromised individuals.

In the absence of a norovirus vaccine, management options include:

• Hand washing with soap and water.
• Alcohol-based sanitizers.
• Environmental disinfection of soiled surfaces with a solution of 1:50 to 1:10 concentration of household bleach.
• Vigorous wiping of surfaces.
• Segregation of sick at nursing homes, hospitals, and long-term care facilities.
• Food and environmental hygiene for prevention.
• Fluids, rest, and rehydration for treatment.

“Constant vigilance is the key to prevention of recurrences,” advises Dr. Ellis.

–by Sridhar Nadamuni, Toronto Correspondent

The norovirus. Source: CDC.

 

Posted: April 2nd, 2008 under Diseases, Infection Protection, News, Norwalk-Like Viruses.
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Russian tennis champion Maria Sharapova has dropped out of the $1.5 million Dubai Championships citing a “viral illness.”

The Australian Open champion, who also won in Doha last week, is unbeaten this year and had been scheduled to play her first match in Dubai on centre court in Tuesday’s evening session.

“Unfortunately I have been battling a virus for several days and it’s reached a point where I’m unable to compete,” the world number five said in a statement. “This is really disappointing to me, but I do intend to come back to Dubai next year and hopefully have a great tournament.”

Athletes are particularly susceptible to viral illnesses, as unclean locker rooms and floors can spread contagions like the flu or Norwalk-like viruses, doctors note.

– by Gene J. Koprowski, Editorial Director

Maria Sharapova out sick this week with a viral illness.

Posted: February 26th, 2008 under Feature Stories, Influenza, Norwalk-Like Viruses.
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The Centers for Disease Control is reporting that an outbreak of norovirus has surfaced on a cruise ship run by Carnival Cruise Lines.  The group left Mobile for Mexico late last week, but less than a day into the trip, 121 passengers and 22 crew members came down with the norovirus, CDC reports.

CDC says norovirus is a virus that’s often spread through:

* Food
* Water
* Surfaces such as stair rails, door handles, and elevator buttons

One passenger on the ill-fated trip told a TV reporter she couldn’t eat anything during the brief cruise, and, when she sought medical attention, there was a line of passengers in the ship’s infirmary. This ruined her vacation, she said, adding that she didn’t want to ever go on another cruise, as she did not feel that this ship was clean, and never saw anybody wiping down the handle bars or railings with disinfectant.

Carnival Cruise lines reports that it has “sanitized the ship and is working closely with the CDC” to determine what caused the norovirus outbreak.
 

– The Editors

See, http://wkrg.com/news/article/norovirus_ruins_cruise_ship_vacation/9601/
 

 

Norovirus image — Source: National Agricultural Biosecurity Center.

Posted: January 29th, 2008 under Norwalk-Like Viruses.
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The Telegraph (U.K.) is reporting: Three million people have been afflicted by the winter vomiting bug - with experts fearing that cases could continue to rise dramatically during this month and next. The norovirus season began a month earlier than normal this winter, and cases of the virus are  increasing rapidly, with more than 200,000 people a week now catching the infection, official figures claim.

See,

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/01/12/nnoro112.xml

Symptoms of norovirus can start just 12 hours after infection, and are as follows:

* The sudden onset of nausea.

* Projectile vomiting.

* Diarrhea.

* Mild fevers.

* Headaches

* Stomach cramps.

* Aching limbs which last for two to three days.

The disease is exceptionally contagious and is spread through direct contact with an infected person, as well as the surfaces they have touched — so proper infection control, disinfecting countertops, tables, doorknobs, and wearing gloves when doing so, are essential to stop the disease. Remember, however, that there are an array of strains of the disease, and it is quite possible to contract the infection several times.

– by Gene J. Koprowski, Editorial Director

 The winter vomiting virus.
Image source: Environnement, Microbiologie & Phycotoxines project, France.

Posted: January 12th, 2008 under Feature Stories, Norwalk-Like Viruses.
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