Flu outbreak closes three schools in North Carolina

[scottmcpherson]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/02/15/sick.schools.ap/index.html

One of our agency CIOs caught this headline. Couple this with Birmingham, AL and Central City, Nebraska outbreaks among schoolchildren, and you've had one interesting response to flu.

If only 35% of the Influenza B reported this season matches the CDC vaccine target, and 65% does not, then would we infer there are two B strains making the rounds this year?

SWAN QUARTER, North Carolina (AP) -- Three schools closed until Monday because of an outbreak of flu-like symptoms, an official said Thursday.

All 541 students were told to stay home Wednesday through Friday after attendance dropped 20 percent early in the week, said school system spokeswoman Carol Evans. Some students had symptoms of influenza Type B.

Hyde County's health director recommended the closings "to give these students a break to get to the doctor and to stay home and quit passing the germs back and forth," Evans said.

Evans said he didn't recall any previous school closings for illness.

"I've been here 32 years and I don't remember shutting down for illness," Evans said. "We've had to shut down for boiler problems, hurricanes and flooding."

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

[Niko]

Re: Flu outbreak closes three schools in North Carolina

Schools, Hospitals Reeling Because of Flu-like Symptoms

Posted: Feb. 15, 2007
Updated: Feb. 15 2:54 p.m.
RALEIGH, N.C. ? Schools have closed and hospitals continue to ask people not to visit as an outbreak of flu-like symptoms spreads across the state for a second straight week.

The Durham Veterans Administration Medical Center stopped admitting inpatients, a spokesman said Thursday, although outpatient clinics continue to operate.

Three schools in the Hyde County town of Swan Quarter closed until Monday because of an outbreak of flu-like symptoms, an official said Thursday.

All 541 students were told to stay home Wednesday through Friday after attendance dropped 20 percent early in the week, said school system spokeswoman Carol Evans. Some students had symptoms of influenza Type B.

Hyde County's health director recommended the closings "to give these students a break to get to the doctor and to stay home and quit passing the germs back and forth," Evans said.

Evans said she didn't recall any previous school closings for illness.
"I've been here 32 years and I don't remember shutting down for illness," Evans said. "We've had to shut down for boiler problems, hurricanes and flooding."

In Durham, the VA stopped its admission of new patients, usually 10 to 20 a day, said spokesman Hal Hummel.

The VA facility has 250 to 300 inpatients, thousands of outpatients and more than 1,700 employees. Hummel said 25 to 40 people have contracted the illness.

Hummell said the VA is asking visitors to stay away and that patients ready to leave can go home but not to a nursing home or other community facility.

"We're diverting admissions to other facilities because we don't want somebody else to bring it in," he said.

To prevent further spreading of the illnesses, a total of four hospitals in Greensboro, Durham, and Tarboro have urged the public not to come unless absolutely necessary.

"We're asking for the public's cooperation as we attempt to curb the numbers of people in our community affected by the disease," said Wick Baker, president of Heritage Hospital in Tarboro.

Several of the outbreaks have been caused by noroviruses, but viral gastroenteritis, also known as the "stomach flu," can be caused by other viruses, officials said.

The main symptoms of viral gastroenteritis are diarrhea and vomiting and can include a headache, fever, and abdominal cramps. The symptoms can last up to 10 days, depending on which virus causes the illness, officials said.

Infants, young children, and people who are unable to care for themselves are at risk for dehydration from loss of fluids, officials said.

State medical officials are urging the public to be vigilant about washing their hands and thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting contaminated surfaces to help prevent the illness, among other efforts.

"While you can never totally prevent spread of an illness, you can certainly limit infection by taking proper precautions," said Dr. Jeffrey Engel, the state epidemiologist. "In this instance, our best advice is: wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands."

http://www.wral.com/news/state/story/1204526/

[yielddude]

Re: Flu outbreak closes three schools in North Carolina

Norovirus afflicts N.C., University
Rebecca Wu
Posted: 2/19/07
Within the last week, hospitals in North Carolina have seen an outbreak in the highly contagious norovirus, also known as the "winter vomiting illness."

Jean Hanson, administrative director of the Duke Student Health Center, wrote in an e-mail that 22 students with nausea, vomiting and diarrhea have come to Student Health since Feb. 5.

The Durham VA Medical Center has restricted access to visitors, and many other hospitals in the area have taken preventive measures.

"We're trying to protect the community," said Hal Hummel, public affairs officer for the Durham VA Medical Center. "We're monitoring the virus all day, every day, and when we reach a point when we feel it is no longer a public health concern, then we will get back to normal operations. That could be tomorrow or the next day. We really don't know."

Symptoms of the norovirus include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever. Hummel estimated that among the Durham VA Medical Center's staff and patients, there were 25 to 50 people diagnosed with the virus.

"The thing that makes it more difficult is that there's regular generic stuff going on as well and you can't tell from the outside if it's just regular nausea and vomiting," Hanson said. "The test to determine [the norovirus] costs over $300 so we're not routinely testing for it. The treatment is the same and prevention is the same."

Treatment of the virus involves keeping patients hydrated orally or intravenously, she added.

Freshman Andrea Pretorian, who was diagnosed with the norovirus two weeks ago, wrote in an e-mail that there were at least two other Duke students in the emergency room at the same time she was.

"I started feeling nauseous, and it progressively worsened to the point where I spent the whole night alternating between bathroom runs and passing out in my room," she said. "It must have been at least 20 times. In the morning, I woke up on the floor, with no idea of how I got there, and when I tried to stand up, the whole room was spinning really fast around me."

The norovirus is like the common cold in that it is very easy to pass on and very easy to get, said Sharon Evans, infection control practitioner for the Duke University Medical Center. "If people are having symptoms of nausea, diarrhea and vomiting, they need to wash their hands with soap and water," she said. "Alcohol hand sanitizers are not going to help."

Evans added that portable hand-washing stations have been set up around the Durham VA Medical Center and the Duke Hospital.

The norovirus has seen higher rates all across the nation, particularly in North Carolina, said Dr. Deverick Anderson, instructor of medicine in infectious diseases.

"Norovirus is a very tough little guy. It likes to hang around and stay alive on doorknobs," Hummel said. "It stays alive and infectious for a few days. In a lot of cases, viruses only last a few minutes to a few hours on a surface where they may be transmittable."

According to the National Center for Infectious Diseases, most people get better within one to two days and have no long-term health effects related to the virus.

"It's been about two weeks since I first had the norovirus, and I'm still not fully recovered," Pretorian said. "For about a week I had to stick to the BRAT diet-bananas, rice, applesauce, toast. What was most frustrating about this virus is the time it takes to recover. When you feel like throwing up, can barely eat and have a constant headache and fatigue, it's really hard to get anything done."

http://media.www.dukechronicle.com/media/storage/paper884/news/2007/02/19/News/Norovirus.Afflicts.N.c.University-2728039.shtml