Norovirus Lawyer & Attorney : Marler Clark : Norovirus Blog

Across Florida, 61 clusters of norovirus were identified during January and February. That's up from 47 clusters in 2009.  Places where the virus can spread easily includes jails, schools and assisted living facilities.

Most healthy people survive Norovirus just fine, with recovery in about two days. Those who do come down with it are contagious for three days after they start feeling well.

Preventing the spread of the virus means hand-washing, proper food handling, and for those who are sick, staying home.

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Another food recall is in effect for parts of Oregon. Oregon Oyster Farms Incorporated is recalling oyster meat and oysters in the shell from Yaquina Bay at Newport. The recall involves one-half pint containers, pint containers, half gallon containers, and four-gallon buckets including all large, medium, small, extra-small, and petite Pacific oysters, Kumamoto oysters, and Yaquina native oysters. All shucked product product containers with sell or use by dates of February 15th through March 11th are included. The Oregon Department of Health says the recall is due to potential norovirus contamination.

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Norovirus is a serious virus that causes nausea, diarrhea and severe cramps. This disease, often associated with cruise ship sickness, has made resurgence in the last few weeks. This time it is affecting retirement/assisted living homes. The virus has turned up in several of these facilities in Florida and South Carolina.

Communities in and around Sarasota, Florida and Charleston, South Carolina have reported an increase in the activity of the virus in the community. Schools and work place absences have increased in the last few weeks. Now, the virus has entered the retirement community where it can cause severe damage to a weak immune system.

Health officials are tracking the progress of this virus to see if it is going to spread quickly through the country. Norovirus will either stop as quickly as it started or spread like wildfire. There is no distinct pattern to the virus at all.

The best way to avoid the virus is to wash your hands continually throughout the day. Soap and water are your best defense. Carry hand sanitizer with you for convenience, but remember soap and water is a better solution. Norovirus has been associated with death in the past. It is very important to use as many preventative measures as possible to avoid the risk of getting or spreading the virus.

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The Wake County Environmental Services has confirmed that four out of the 150 people who became ill while attending the YMCA Youth and Government conference at the Sheraton Hotel over the weekend had the norovirus.

Lab results received Monday confirms the results and the County continues to investigate the source of the norovirus and has put precautionary measures in place to reduce the spread of illness.  On Saturday, more than 150 youth and advisors reported experiencing nausea and vomiting while attending the conference. They were evaluated and treated by Wake EMS at the hotel. Six people were hospitalized.

"Norovirus investigations are complex," said Wake County Environmental Health and Safety director Andre Pierce. "We have to interview everyone involved, look at lab samples and work closely with food handlers and preparers. In some cases, we never definitively find the source of the norovirus."  The County's epidemiological team has interviewed 152 people and have inspected several food service establishments.

The symptoms of norovirus illness usually include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and some stomach cramping. Sometimes people additionally have a low-grade fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and a general sense of tiredness. The illness often begins suddenly, and the infected person may feel very sick. In most people the illness is self-limiting with symptoms lasting for about one or two days. In general, children experience more vomiting than adults.

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Officials are limiting access to the Croasdaile Village retirement community after dozens of residents became ill with what's believed to be norovirus.

The facility has 630 residents - which range from independent living, assisted living and nursing care residents. Of those, about 80 residents have - or have had - the illness. About 50 of 300 employees have also been affected.

To try and stop the spread, officials are working closely with the Durham Health Department which recommended limiting access to the facility. A command center has been set up and officials say residents can get anything they need brought to them. Family members can also drop things off.

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Visitation has been restricted on a unit at Bon Secours DePaul Medical Center this week because of an outbreak of norovirus, a highly contagious stomach bug that causes vomiting, diarrhea and fever.

Lynne Zultanky, spokeswoman for the hospital, said staff identified the symptoms of norovirus in patients on a transitional care unit on Friday, and the diagnosis was confirmed by the Norfolk Department of Public Health on Monday. She said a dozen patients were identified with symptoms of norovirus, along with 10 staff members.

No further admissions are being made to the transitional care unit, and no visitors have been allowed on that unit. Zultanky said the hospital is working with the health department to prevent the spread of the virus.

John Monroe, epidemiologist with the Norfolk health department, said the restrictions will be in place until three days have passed with no new illnesses.

Norovirus is a viral illness that can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramping, low-grade fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and tiredness. It usually lasts one or two days and rarely has complications.

Larry Hill, spokesman for the eastern region of the Virginia Department of Health, said norovirus outbreaks are more common in late fall, winter and early spring because people congregate together, making the virus easier to spread, particularly in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, day care centers and schools.

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The Advocate reported today, “oyster bed closures “safety net.”

The closure of some oyster harvesting grounds in southwest Louisiana this week highlights how pollution can impact the state’s fishing industry. The state Department of Health and Hospitals halted oyster harvesting in lower Calcasieu Lake on Thursday on the suspicion that oysters from the area might have been linked to a norovirus outbreak in North Carolina.

Public health officials in Raleigh, N.C., reported that about 280 people became sick last month after dining at an oyster bar that served oysters from the area in question.

Norovirus is a name applied to a group of highly contagious and fairly common illnesses that cause flu-like symptoms for one to two days.

It can find its way into oysters by way of sewage run-off.

Norovirus and other food-borne illnesses linked to run-off are such a concern that Louisiana has a system in place that calls for the precautionary closure of oyster harvesting in certain areas based on the conditions and times of year that can be problematic.

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The U.S. government warned consumers Sunday to avoid oysters from San Antonio Bay in Texas after investigators found the oysters caused a highly contagious virus.

Consumers who bought San Antonio Bay-harvested oysters on or after November 16 should throw them away, the Food and Drug Administration announced. The agency also advised restaurant managers and grocers not to serve or sell the Texas oysters.

About a dozen cases of norovirus-related illnesses in North Carolina and South Carolina were "definitely linked" to oysters recently harvested from the San Antonio Bay, FDA spokeswoman Rita Chappelle told CNN.

Texas' health department has already recalled all oysters harvested from the bay between November 16 and November 25, the health department said in a statement on its Web site. San Antonio Bay has also been closed to commercial oyster harvesting, the statement said.

Texas authorities are still investigating how the oysters were contaminated and where they were distributed, Chappelle said.

Noroviruses cause gastroenteritis, also known as the stomach flu. They are highly contagious, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Aside from contracting the virus from food or drink, one can become ill by touching contaminated surfaces and then their mouth, or by coming into direct contact with an infected individual.

Symptoms associated with the virus include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramping. Affected individuals often experience low-grade fever, chills, headache, muscle aches and fatigue. The illness typically lasts one to two days according to the CDC.

Anyone who ate the now-recalled oysters and who are now showing symptoms of norovirus should see a doctor and contact the local health department.

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American Society for Microbiology
Sascha Mormann, Mareike Dabisch, and Barbara Becker

Abstract

Contaminated food is a significant vehicle of human norovirus transmission. The present study determined the effect of physicochemical treatments on the tenacity of infective human norovirus genogroup II in selected foods. Artificially contaminated produce was subjected to a selection of processes used by the food industry for preservation and by the consumer for storage and preparation. Virus recovery was carried out by ultrafiltration and monitored with bacteriophage MS2 as an internal process control. Norovirus was quantified with monoplex one-step TaqMan real-time RT-PCR and an external standard curve based on recombinant RNA standards. A RNase pretreatment step was introduced to avoid false-positive PCR results caused by accessible RNA allowing the detection of intact virus particles. Significant titer reductions were obtained with heat treatments usually applied by the consumer for food preparation (baking, cooking, roasting). Generally, processes for preservation and storage, such as cooling, freezing, acidification ( pH 4.5) and moderate heat treatments (pasteurization) appear to be insufficient to inactivate norovirus within a food matrix or on the surface. Beside the persistence in processed food, this study provides comparable data about individual matrix-specific protective effects, recovery rates and inhibitory influences on the PCR reactions. The established workflow might be applied to other non-cultivable enteric RNA viruses which are connected to foodborne diseases. The obtained data of this project may also benefit the process optimization for norovirus inactivation in food by adjusting food processing technologies and promote the development of risk assessment systems in order to improve the consumer protection.

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