Iowa - Norovirus cases 2012

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Hospitals Busy With Norovirus Patients​

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POSTED: 3:43 pm CST January 16, 2012

UPDATED: 8:35 am CST January 17, 2012​

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NEVADA, Iowa -- Doctors in central Iowa said they continue to see lots of patients suffering from the stomach flu.

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Iowa Public Health officials put out a warning just before Christmas after seeing an alarming number of outbreaks of the Norovirus.

There's no shortage of illness bringing patients into the Nevada Medical Clinic, but Dr. Art Check says ever since mid-December he's seen a steady number of patients with Norovirus or stomach flu.

Read more: http://www.kcci.com/health/30225109/detail.html#ixzz1jjH8HYsI​

 

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Re: Iowa - Norovirus cases 2012

Norovirus outbreak at Luther College

Posted: Jan 23, 2012 1:11 PM CST <NOSCRIPT orgFontSize="11px"></NOSCRIPT><!--END wnDate-->
Written by Jenn Jarvis, Internet Director

DECORAH (KWWL) -

Luther College Health Services confirms there has been an outbreak of Norovirus on campus.

Authorities are not sure where it came from, but students returned to campus for the semester on Jan. 3. Health services did not know how many people on campus became sick.

State health inspectors were on campus doing an inspection on Monday.

There was a large outbreak of Norovirus across Iowa late last year. The Iowa Department of Public Health says the number of cases fell after the cases, but has increased again in the last few weeks.

More...
http://www.kwwl.com/story/16580499/norovirus-outbreak-at-luther-college

 

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Re: Iowa - Norovirus cases 2012

IDPH News

Posted: Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:48 CST
Category: Infectious Disease Prevention


<FORM style="MARGIN: 0px" id=Form1 method=post name=Form1 action=Reader.aspx?id=0A736BAD-6FB6-4931-B031-DAA0E98DDBD6>Norovirus Outbreaks Continue in Iowa

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) continues to see outbreaks of norovirus illness across the state, and reports of activity have been increasing in recent weeks. Anyone can be infected with norovirus and become ill and you can get norovirus illness more than once.​

?With this virus in our communities and because it is so easy to spread, we need everybody to stay home when they are ill with diarrhea and vomiting,? said IDPH Medical Director, Dr. Patricia Quinlisk. ?There?s no vaccine and no antibiotics for norovirus. It can spread in food, in the air, by shaking hands and by touching things like door knobs that an ill person has touched. So the only way to stop its spread is for those who are ill to stay home.?​

Norovirus is sometimes called a ?stomach bug.? Symptoms of norovirus infection usually include diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and stomach cramping. Norovirus can spread quickly from person-to-person, especially in crowded, closed places like schools, hotels and daycare centers. The viruses are found in the vomit and stool of infected people, and can get into the air. Typically you get it by:

• <LI style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">Eating food or drinking liquids that are contaminated with norovirus (someone gets stool or vomit on their hands because they are ill, they then touch your food or drink). <LI style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">Touching surfaces or objects contaminated with norovirus and then putting your hand or fingers in your mouth. <LI style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">Being near someone who is vomiting or having diarrhea.
• Having direct contact with a person who is infected with norovirus (for example, when caring for someone with norovirus).

There are two critical ways to stop the spread of norovirus:​

• <LI style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">Stay home when ill and do not prepare food for anyone but yourself until three days after all diarrhea and vomiting have stopped.
• Wash hands frequently, especially after using the toilet and changing diapers, and always before eating or preparing food.

For more information about norovirus, visit http://tinyurl.com/7g3gvml.


Contact Information: Polly Carver-Kimm at (515) 281-6693

http://www.idph.state.ia.us/IdphNews/Reader.aspx?id=0A736BAD-6FB6-4931-B031-DAA0E98DDBD6</FORM>
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Re: Iowa - Norovirus cases 2012

Quick-Spreading Bug Hits School Hard

POSTED: 4:02 am CST February 21, 2012

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa -- Health officials suspect a norovirus outbreak is behind dozens of students getting sick in the Independence school district in northeast Iowa.

Superintendent Jean Peterson says 30 students were sent home last Thursday and another 20 on Friday. There was no school on Monday because of the Presidents' Day holiday.

Read more: http://www.kcci.com/health/30505107/detail.html#ixzz1n48wYAyt

 

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Re: Iowa - Norovirus cases 2012

Reports of norovirus on the rise in Siouxland

23 hours ago ? Dolly A. Butz dbutz@siouxcityjournal.com
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Siouxland District Health Department Lab Director Tyler Brock said norovirus is not a reportable illness like whooping cough, so when a physician encounters a case of it, they are not required to report it to the health department.

If several people come down with symptoms after dining at a particular restaurant, Brock said sometimes the health department is able to launch an investigation.

"We don't have official reports of norovirus activity," he said. "We've been hearing about a lot of gastrointestinal, vomiting, diarrhea-type stuff which tends to be norovirus."

Morningside College Student Health Center director Carol Garvey said she started seeing students complaining of stomach aches and diarrhea in the fall and immediately suspected norovirus.

Full text:
http://siouxcityjournal.com/lifesty...cle_bf053757-9d19-5ac6-a23c-f6e1e00e1739.html