Norovirus On The Rise In North Carolina

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Norovirus On The Rise In NC

By Kerry Hall, NBC17, 20 hours, 10 minutes ago
Updated: Feb. 26 7:33 pm

RALEIGH, N.C. -

State health officials are warning people about the rapid spread of norovirus in the Carolinas.

You can catch the one or two day stomach bug by coming into contact with as few as ten tiny particles of the virus.

It's commonly spread in places where a lot of people are in close contact with one another.

The Celebrity Mercury cruise ship docked in Charleston, South Carolina early Friday morning, after about 400 passengers and employees suffered from norovirus at sea.

Two weeks ago, about 150 students complained of nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea during a conference held at the convention center in downtown Raleigh.

Croasdaile Village Retirement Community in Durham has been under quarantine. About 170 residents and more than 70 staffers have suffered from norovirus in the past two weeks.

Under the quarantine, no visitors are allowed, group activities are cancelled, and communal areas are closed as employees sanitize the campus.

Health experts say thorough hand washing with soap and water is one the best ways to prevent the spread of the illness. However, they say popular hand sanitizers are not effective against norovirus.

"Any of the germs, the bacteria, the viruses that cause diarrhea-type illnesses, the alcohol hand gels typically don't work with those germs," said Robin Carver, director of infection prevention for WakeMed.

Ways to stop the spread:

-Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water
-Stay home if you're sick
-Do not prepare food while you are sick or for 48 hours after symptoms disappear
-Disinfect surfaces with a bleach solution

Some people may experience complications from dehydration. If you feel sick for more than two days, you should contact a doctor.

http://wake.mync.com/site/wake/news/story/48684/norovirus-on-the-rise-in-nc

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Re: Norovirus On The Rise In North Carolina

Stomach virus sends children to the hospital in Brunswick County

Posted:<SCRIPT type=text/javascript> wnRenderDate('Monday, March 1, 2010 10:33 AM EST', '', true);</SCRIPT> Mar 01, 2010 9:33 AM CST <NOSCRIPT></NOSCRIPT><!--END wnDate-->Updated: March 1, 2010 10:33 AM EST

Reported by Kim Ratcliff

WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) - Doctors at Leland Pediatrics sent 5 children to the hospital for dehydration due to a stomach bug that's been going around.

The symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea and sometimes a low grade fever.

Since this is a virus, there isn't anything you can do to treat it. The virus needs to run it's course, but keeping your children hydrated is very important.

If your child is throwing up you want to give them clear fluids to keep them hydrated - things like water, juice or even jello, if they can tolerate it.

Most of the time the vomiting is over in 24 hours. The good news is there are still no cases of the flu.

Doctors at Carolina Pediatrics in Wilmington are seeing an upper respiratory virus and stomach bug.

Doctor Mary Forehand says older kids are coming in with a virus that includes sore throat, body aches and a low grade fever. She recommends rest, liquids and ibuprofen.

Dr. Forehand is also seeing little babies with rsv, a respiratory virus with lots of coughing and congestion. She says to use nasal suction and provide lots of comfort as long as there is no respiratory distress and the baby continues to eat. If that happens go to a doctor immediately.

Doctors at Carolina Pediatrics are also seeing lots of the stomach bug with vomiting that lasts for 24 hours then gets better. They say rest and fluids are the best treatments.

http://www.wect.com/Global/story.asp?S=12062295

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Re: Norovirus On The Rise In North Carolina

Norovirus Concerns

Rebecca Clark


Story Updated: Mar 3, 2010 at 1:27 PM EST


CHARLOTTE, N.C.-There's a virus cruising around the Charlotte area, more people are getting it.

It's the stomach flu with a kick. It's called the norovirus and it's extremely infectious.

Health department officials say at least two assisted living facilities have been hit with the virus.

Weddington Park assisted living in Matthews and Wilora Lakes Lodge assisted living off Albermarle road. The virus doesn't last long, it's quick but painful, the symptoms include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Video link:

http://www.foxcharlotte.com/news/nc-news/86213127.html

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Re: Norovirus On The Rise In North Carolina

The norovirus is one bad bug


BY SARAH AVERY - Staff Writer
Published Thu, Mar 04, 2010 05:20 AM
Modified Thu, Mar 04, 2010 07:05 AM

It is nasty, and the norovirus that is causing widespread outbreaks of diarrhea and vomiting across North Carolina is one super bug.

Impervious to sanitizing gels, able to sicken wide groups of people in tiny amounts and fearing no vaccine, the norovirus has struck conferences, play groups, schools, restaurants, retirement homes and day care centers.

"It's a very successful virus," said David Bergmire-Sweat, food-borne disease epidemiologist for the state Division of Public Health.

A count of infections isn't available, Bergmire-Sweat said, because the ailment isn't among those the state tracks and reports to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. But he said outbreaks can sweep through large clusters of people in waves of illness, with just a few particles of the virus transmitted in airborne droplets, on surfaces or in contaminated food.

And it packs a wallop. Although the intestinal turmoil usually lasts no more than a couple of days, it can be serious for older adults, young children and people with fragile immune systems. At WakeMed in Raleigh, hospital officials said Wednesday that they've seen a large number of people in the emergency department in the grip of the virus's misery.

Most are sent home. There is no treatment.

Agnes Stevens, with the state's Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission, went from feeling fine to feeling wretched within two hours Sunday evening, and spent the entire night vomiting.

"It was not an experience I enjoyed," she said. Wiped out, she took Monday off.

The virus can spread from its recent victims days and weeks after they've fully recovered.

State health officials caution people who have had bouts of the virus to refrain from fixing food for at least 48 hours, and to wash clothing and bedding in detergent and hot water.

What's also little known is that norovirus is untouched by sanitary hand gels, which rely on alcohol to kill germs. Only bleach works against noroviruses, so people are better off washing their hands in warm, soapy water.

Other than that, science offers little against the pathogen. Along with no treatment, there's no vaccine.

Seeking a vaccine

Ralph Baric, an epidemiologist at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at UNC-Chapel Hill, is working to rectify that. Baric, who studies noroviruses, said he has had success immunizing mice against the virus.

His technique uses inactivated parts of the pathogen to train the immune system into mounting a defense.

But the virus is tricky. Like influenza, it comes in dozens of strains, and it's constantly changing. As a result, people have almost no immunity to any one variant. Baric said people can suffer norovirus illness time and again, because each bout can be caused by a different strain.

For his vaccine to work, he said, he'll have to pack the inoculation with multiple strains, selecting them through a process similar to how seasonal flu shots are created each year.

But there is a good potential market among older people, the military and travelers. Cruise ship companies also have strong interest.

"Between 10 million and 20 million people take cruises each year," Baric said. "Cruise ship companies spend a tremendous amount of money and time and effort keeping the viruses off ships."

And still the virus cannot be vanquished. Half the time, Baric said, it's the culprit behind traveler's revenge.

http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/03/04/368708/the-norovirus-is-one-bad-bug.html

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Re: Norovirus On The Rise In North Carolina

Norovirus May Be Causing Illness Here

Mary Fournier, Information and Communications
Carteret County Health Department

Published: March 4, 2010

Morehead City, NC ? Carteret County Health Department is getting reports from the community that some residents are becoming ill with gastrointestinal symptoms. It may be that Norovirus is the cause. Other parts of the state are experiencing similar types of illness. Norovirus is spread person-to-person or by contact with contaminated surfaces.

Noroviruses are a group of viruses that cause acute gastrointestinal illness, causing symptoms that may include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal cramping. Some people also have a low-grade fever, chills, headache, muscle aches and fatigue. The illness often starts suddenly and lasts 1 to 2 days. Children may experience more vomiting than adults.

There is no treatment for this virus and testing is not needed except in certain situations.

Dr. J. T. Garrett, Health Director stresses that, ?It is important for ill children and adults with these symptoms to remain home at least 48 hours after their symptoms have gone away in order to make sure they have recovered and so that they will not pass on the illness to others. Also, we know that hand sanitizers are not as effective against Norovirus as soap and warm water, so please wash your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds, especially after toilet visits and before preparing or eating food or drink.?

Here are some other suggested measures for households experiencing this type of illness: clean and disinfect surfaces contaminated with vomit/stool immediately using a bleach-based household cleaner, or dilute household bleach 1:10 in water ? never use concentrated bleach; remove and wash soiled clothing, towels or bed linens in hot water and detergent; take a shower several times a day while actively sick with vomiting or diarrhea; persons with Norovirus should not prepare food while they have symptoms and for 2 to 3 days after they recover from their illness; and be sure to dispose of food that may have been contaminated.

Although people feel very sick, most get better in a couple of days and have no long-term health effects. However, it is important to keep watch on the very young, the elderly and those with other illnesses, to make sure they do not become dehydrated from not being able to replace the liquids their bodies are losing. Contact your physician if you have concerns.

For more information, contact your physician, or call the Health Department at 252.728.8550. More specific information about cleaning and disinfecting procedures can be found at the NC Division of Public Health website http://www.ncpublichealth.com.

http://www2.wnct.com/nct/news/local/article/norovirus_may_be_causing_illness_here/116096/