Norovirus Lawyer & Attorney : Marler Clark : Norovirus Blog

Another major norovirus outbreak forced Richmond's overcrowded jail to quarantine hundreds of inmates. And the nasty stomach bug may also have hit doz- ens of students and staff members at three Henrico County schools.

The jail quarantine, imposed yesterday afternoon, affects 271 men in the jail's G Building, said Richmond Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Tara Dunlop. It will last until at least Friday, when the jail's doctor will decide whether the outbreak has passed.

Henrico school officials said students and staff at Shady Grove Elementary School and Highland Springs and Deep Run high schools started showing signs of the illness this month. In Hanover County, officials report four confirmed cases of norovirus.

Norovirus causes vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramps.

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WESTMORELAND COUNTY, Pa. -- No visitors are allowed in and no patients are allowed out of a Westmoreland nursing home Tuesday that has residents and workers who have been infected with a highly contagious virus.

The Health Department said a strain of norovirus has made its way to Bethlen Nursing Home in Ligonier and has sickened half of the residents and staff, bringing the total number close to 85.

The nursing home said it's doing all it can to stop it from spreading.

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A resident of the Quakertown Center in Quakertown tested positive last week for a highly contagious stomach virus that sometimes affects cruise ships.

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Hundreds of Boston residents and some Boston University students who ended up in the emergency room with the norovirus this winter may take comfort in a recent research breakthrough that may help prevent them from getting infected next year.

The first isolated lab culture of the norovirus human strain, often responsible for causing stomach flu, was produced by researchers from Arizona University, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Tulane University and the University of Arizona. The project, published this month in the Centers for Disease Control's Emerging Infectious Diseases journal, came after 30 years of failed attempts to isolate the virus.

Timothy Straub, lead researcher at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, said the research could eventually lead to a vaccine similar to a typical flu shot.

"[The new methods] may provide this critical link in developing new treatments and vaccines," he said.

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As an emergency room doctor at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Frank McGeorge has treated countless cases of norovirus, the stomach virus notorious for canceling cruise ship vacations.

But McGeorge has also suffered the highly contagious illness, which can make patients agonizingly nauseous, he said.

"Norovirus is incredibly distressing to people," McGeorge said. "And from a medical standpoint, there's nothing we can do to treat it, except fluids, anti-nausea medicine and time."

McGeorge and other physicians in Metro Detroit and across the state are dealing with more reports of norovirus outbreaks at nursing homes, restaurants, schools and other public places, health officials say.

Last year, 144 norovirus outbreaks were reported in Michigan -- a 323 percent jump from the 34 reported in 2005, according to the Michigan Department of Community Health. This year, 41 outbreaks already have been reported, the agency said.

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Rhode Island is experiencing a general increase in cases of norovirus - a category of diseases similar to the stomach flu - but the University has not been affected.

The Rhode Island Department of Health uses syndromic surveillance to monitor the number of norovirus cases, tracking changes in levels of reported cases instead of counting individual cases. "There are reporting mechanisms in place with schools, nursing homes and emergency (medical) departments," said Annemarie Beardsworth, spokeswoman for the department. "They report back to the DOH an increase in the number of cases - they give a general summary."

"All those systems that report back to the DOH are seeing increased cases of norovirus at the same time," she added. "Normally what we expect at this time of year is a small cluster of an increase. What is significant this year is all those segments are reporting an increase at the same time."

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Virginia Department of Health officials say there have been 130 norovirus outbreaks throughout the state since Nov. 1.

That includes 40 outbreaks in the central Virginia region. About 70 percent of the outbreaks have been in long-term care facilities. The highly contagious gastrointestinal illness causes diarrhea, vomiting and stomach cramps.

Two Richmond-area facilities -- Lakewood Manor retirement community and Beaufont Towers -- are recovering from outbreaks and expect to remove visitation restrictions soon.

The Hermitage, a retirement community on Westwood Avenue in Richmond, was not allowing visitors at its health-care center yesterday because of illness among residents, but staff did not yet have a confirmation of norovirus.

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More people than ever are becoming sick with the norovirus here in Michigan. The State Department of Community Health says 145 outbreaks were reported in Michigan in 2006. That's about four times the amount reported in all of 2005 when there were only 36 cases, and we could be on another record-breaking pace this year.

After only a month and a half into 2007, 37 outbreaks have already been reported. Local health agencies are working to prevent the spread of this virus. Health experts at Michigan State University say those numbers may still be on the low side.

Dr. Dele Davies, Pediatrics and Human Development at MSU: "We know for sure there are more people with the disease than what actually gets reported."

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The highly contagious virus that infected at least 190 people at North Myrtle Beach Elementary has been identified as a norovirus, an illness most people know from its cruise ship outbreaks.

Nearly 200 students and staff members stayed home sick on Friday, and the school will remained closed for most of this week for a thorough cleaning.

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control announced the finding Sunday after analyzing stool samples from people who were infected.

Department spokesman Thom Berry said people often hear of norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships. There haven't been recent outbreaks in any other S.C. schools, but some were reported this year at several nursing homes and residential care facilities in the Upstate, he said.

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There has been an outbreak of Norovirus, also known as Norwalk virus, at two hospitals in the Greensboro area.  New patients will not be admitted and visitors are being asked to stay away.  Children 12 years and younger will not be allowed inside. Full Story from Steve Hartsoe at WRAL.com

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Two hospitals are asking people to stay away until they can control an outbreak of the highly contagious Norwalk stomach virus that has sickened patients and staff members.

Moses Cone Health System confirmed an outbreak of the virus at Moses Cone Hospital in Greensboro, and believe the virus has also hit Wesley Long Hospital, two of the system's three general service hospitals. The third hospital, in Reidsville, appeared to be unaffected.

Firm numbers of patients affected weren't available, officials said.

In the lobby at Moses Cone, a sign Friday warned people about the virus and also urged them to wash their hands frequently. There was a hand sanitizer dispenser mounted on the wall by the sign.

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The Norovirus has hit 3 nursing homes in Santa Rosa and Sonoma Valley. Full story from Robert Digitale at The Press Democrat

The three senior care facilities reported more than 50 new cases of norovirus, said Dr. Leigh Hall, Sonoma County's deputy public health officer.

Two of the three facilities are located in the Sonoma Valley, and the third is in Santa Rosa.

The county refuses to identify the facilities until an outbreak is declared over, saying they fear operators will not report norovirus cases otherwise.

The county continues to monitor two facilities in Rohnert Park and Petaluma that previously reported norovirus cases. The two facilities reported three new cases over the weekend but none on Monday.

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Tampa Bay Channel 10 News reports a Norovirus case in Brooksville, Florida. Full Story

The county Health Department says at least one person attending a county meeting last week has tested positive for Norovirus. Results from other persons who took ill are expected later this week.

At least 35 people reported mild to severe diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and other gastrointestinal symptoms within 30 hours after eating food at the meeting, the health department said.

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Courtney Paquette for the Eagle-Tribune writes that the Norovirus has spread through schools and nursing homes in New Hampshire. Full story

A record outbreak of norovirus that has sickened thousands of New Hampshire residents has health officials worried that a strain they haven't seen before may be to blame.

There have been 44 outbreaks of the virus since December, far more than the previous record of 33 outbreaks in 2003. An outbreak occurs when a whole community - a school, nursing home, office or housing complex - is struck with an illness. More people might be contracting the virus because it's a strain their immune systems aren't used to, officials said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta is studying the strain and is supposed to issue research findings in the next couple of weeks, Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Greg Moore said.

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