Norovirus Lawyer & Attorney : Marler Clark : Norovirus Blog

We've been tracking norovirus outbreaks around the country all winter.  It's never good news, but when it hits an important medical center; it's especially  bad.  Tonight comes this news from the Denver Post:

One of the nation's top rehabilitation hospitals has a stomach bug, officials at Craig Hospital in Englewood said tonight.

Since last week, 15 staff members and five patients have contracted a norovirus, a stomach flu, at the 93-bed not-for-profit hospital

The virus has been isolated to one of the hospital's four in-patient units. The hospital is not accepting admissions to that unit until the outbreak has subsided, according to a statement from the hospital.

"There is no way to know the origin of the virus; (it) may have been brought in by outpatients, families, visitors or staff," Pat Goley, the hospital's infection control specialist, stated.

The main method of preventing the highly contagious virus is frequent handwashing, she said.

"We have had strict and aggressive handwashing protocols for years at Craig, but sometimes these infections can occur," Goley stated.

Craig Hospital has been ranked among the top ten rehab hospitals in the nation for the past ten  years by US News & World Report.   The DP's story can be found here.

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The Washington State towns of Wenatchee and East Wenatchee are the latest places to be experiencing norovirus outbreaks.

The Wenatchee World, the local newspaper, reports that 10 to 22 percent of the students at the Waterville schools and Orchard Middle School have called in sick during the past month.

According to the Wenatchee World:

Most students suffered the usual flu symptoms — sore throat, coughing or congestion — but the second most common complaint was gastrointestinal, said health district spokeswoman Mary Small.

Small said the area's emergency rooms and clinics have also experienced a risk in walk-ins with stomach problems.   Norovirus and Type A flu have been diagnosed.

The World's story can be found here.

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We've all been there.  You have to make an appearance at the local Chamber of Commerce's annual dinner.  It usually means you have to make it through an endless series of self-serving speeches, but at least you can go home when it all over.

Those atttending the Jan. 24th Redwood City-San Mateo County Chamber of Commerce annual dinner were not so lucky.  Many did not get to go home, they instead went to the hospital, suffering from norovirus.   The pretigious Sofitel Hotel, site of the dinner, made 62 of more than 200 attending the event sick.

San Meteo health officials said those who got sick were more likely  to have eaten a chicken and salmon dish than the vegetarian option.  They also said some of the hotel's health code violations may have contributed to the outbreak.

Among those violations were not keeping food warm enough and not using sanitary cloth to clean with.

The San Meteo County Times reported the outbreak struck one of its leading elected officiaisl.

Among the attendees who got sick were Supervisor Mark Church, aides confirmed.

One of his items on the Board of Supervisors agenda that would have expanded a green business program had to be postponed because Church wasn't sure he would be well enough to make the meeting. (He did attend.)

The hotel's general manager, Didier de La Fierre, a member of the chamber, was also sickened, Maragakis said.

Peterson said norovirus outbreaks at hotels are uncommon, but not unheard of. He remembered a wedding banquet at a hotel a few years ago that had a similar problem.

"I'm happy to say this is not a regular occurrence," he said.

The Times story can be found here.

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