Norovirus Reported at California Camp Fires

More misery
More than 140 Camp Fire evacuees at shelters have had norovirus, some ‘acutely ill’

Sac Bee,

16 November, 2018

More than 140 Camp Fire evacuees at four different shelters have had norovirus symptoms due to an outbreak, while 41 are currently experiencing symptoms, according to Butte County Public Health Department.

Twenty-one people staying at Neighborhood Church in Chico; 10 at Oroville Church of the Nazarene; 9 at Butte County Fairgrounds, and one at East Avenue Church in Chico had symptoms Thursday, according to a Butte County Public Health Department news release.

About 179 people are staying at Neighborhood Church; 352 are at Oroville Church; 142 are at Butte County Fairgrounds in Gridley, and 200 are at East Avenue Church in Chico, the release said.

At Nazarene Church, some people are staying inside and some are staying in their cars on the church property, said Lisa Almaguer, health department spokeswoman.

Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that can cause diarrhea, vomiting and other stomach problems, fever and body aches.

Shelter workers are separating sick people from healthy people, giving them a separate bathroom to use, and sanitizing constantly, Almaguer said.

The outbreak has spread since Wednesday when the health department said evacuees at two shelters were experiencing symptoms.

“The number of sick people is increasing every day,” the health department release said. “Twenty-five people have been to the hospital for medical support. Staff serving the shelters have also been sick.”

The Enloe Medical Center in Chico has seen several norovirus patients shelters that were “acutely ill,” said Susie Benson, manager of Infection Prevention and Control at the hospital.

Hospitalized patients are treated with fluids for dehydration, Benson said. The county’s medical teams are at the shelters evaluating patients to determine if they have norovirus or just noro-like symptoms, Benson said.

Norovirus Reported at California Camp Fires, Feinstein Connection to High Speed Rail

Norovirus in the US

US: Winter vomiting alert: New strain of norovirus on the rise

A nasty new strain of norovirus, a highly contagious gut bug, has circled the globe and landed in the U.S., where it’s now the leading cause of what’s known indelicately as “winter vomiting disease.”

NBC,

24 January, 2013

Health officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday that the GII.4 Sydney strain of norovirus was responsible for more than half of outbreaks of the illness during the last four months of 2012. The new norovirus spread amid a particularly harsh flu season that's also causing misery.

Of 266 outbreaks of norovirus between September and December, 141 were caused by the bug that was first detected in Australia in March 2012, according to data from CaliciNet, which tracks norovirus outbreaks. The proportion of outbreaks caused by the new strain jumped dramatically from 19 percent in September to 58 percent in December, the CDC says in its weekly report on death and disease.

“Right now, it’s too soon to tell whether the new strain of norovirus will lead to more outbreaks than in previous years. However, CDC continues to work with state partners to watch this closely and see if the strain is associated with more severe illness,” said Dr. Aron Hall, a CDC epidemiologist specializing in viruses.

Like the virus that causes the flu, norovirus mutates quickly, resulting in a new strain every few years, Schaffner said. When that happens, people who’ve already had previous versions of the bug that can cause profuse vomiting and diarrhea are more likely to get it again. “What that means is more of us are susceptible,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.

That can be a particular problem in enclosed spaces, such as cruise ships, nursing homes or other gatherings where people share close quarters.

The virus spreads ridiculously easily, often carried in the air after projectile vomiting, or lingering on surfaces where it infects the next victim, Schaffner said.

“It’s very contagious,” he said. “It takes only a few viral particles.”

In the U.S., norovirus is the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis, affecting more than 21 million people a year and leading to about 800 deaths, CDC said.

Though the worst part of the infection usually lasts only a few days, young children and the elderly are most at risk of serious complications, typically because of the danger of dehydration from rapid fluid loss.

Another danger is that dehydration can cause blood pressure to drop, resulting in fainting that can lead to falls. Schaffner said when he heard that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton suffered a concussion after fainting following a stomach virus in December, his first thought was norovirus.

“She’s a global traveler; she could have picked it up anywhere,” he said.

CDC officials advised health workers to be vigilant for increases in norovirus outbreaks this winter because of the new GII.4 Sydney strain. They should follow standard infection control practices to prevent norovirus.

In addition, the general public ought to be aware that the new bug is out there and take precautions including washing hands with soap and water, disinfecting surfaces, rinsing fruits and vegetables, cooking shellfish thoroughly and not preparing food or caring for others while ill.

CDC officials said it’s too early to tell whether the new strain will lead to more outbreaks or more serious illness, but they’re watching the situation closely.

Norovirus

New strain of norovirus spreads around the world

A new strain of the winter vomiting disease norovirus has spread to France, New Zealand and Japan from Australia and is overtaking all others to become the dominant strain in Britain, health officials said on Wednesday.

Reuters,

9 January, 2013

The norovirus variant, known as Sydney 2012, was identified in a scientific paper last week and Britain's Health Protection Agency (HPA) said genetic testing showed it was now causing more cases in England and Wales than other strains.

Sydney 2012 does not carry worse symptoms than others but, like other norovirus strains, it can cause violent and projectile vomiting, diarrhea and sometimes fevers, headaches and stomach cramps.

Norovirus cases have risen earlier than expected this winter in Britain, across Europe, Japan and other parts of the world.

Although norovirus mostly causes just a few days of sickness, it is responsible for millions of infections every year and is notorious for its ability to evade control.

In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say norovirus causes 21 million illnesses a year, with 70,000 cases requiring hospitalization and around 800 ending in death.

Ian Goodfellow, a scientist who has studied norovirus for 10 years, describes it as "the Ferrari of the virus world" and "one of the most infectious viruses of man".

Latest HPA data showed a dip in reported norovirus cases over the Christmas period - something scientists had predicted - but with 4,140 cases so far in England and Wales, infections are still 63 percent higher than at this time last year.

For every laboratory-confirmed case, scientists estimate there are 288 unreported cases, since the vast majority of people affected don't go to a doctor. This means the number affected so far in Britain is more than 1.2 million.

"The emergence of a new strain does not mean that it causes more serious illness, and managing outbreaks and those with the illness remains the same," said David Brown, director of the virology reference department at the HPA.

"Noroviruses mutate rapidly and new strains are constantly emerging. At the start of the season it is normal for outbreaks to be caused by a range of different strains. However, as the season progresses, particular strains are more successful and become dominant."

There is no specific treatment for norovirus infection other than to let the illness take its course and try to stay hydrated by drinking regularly. Symptoms usually last around two days.