Brits Get Ready For Another Round of Norovirus

Posted on September 30, 2008 by Norovirus Attorney

Brits call it "the vomiting bug" and they are getting ready for its return, reports the UK's Daily Star.   Last winter’s epidemic saw an estimated 200,000 people a week struck down by the norovirus.   Now, between  doing its  best to keep the soft porn  business  alive,  the  Daily Star is doing its best to  prepare  folks  for  still more norovirus.   It  reports:

The winter vomiting bug that caused chaos earlier this year is set for a terrifying comeback.  Health experts fear the norovirus will once again hit hundreds of thousands of Brits.

Already, hospital wards in Worcestershire have been closed amid signs that the sickness and diarrhoea bug has claimed a wave of new victims.


NHS Direct has been advising people to treat the bug with an anti-diarrhoea treatment such as Imodium as well as drinking plenty of fluids. Experts warn the elderly are particularly at risk and recommend staying at home to avoid spreading the bug.

 

For more, go here.

 

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EPA Funds Norovirus Research At PNW National Lab

Posted on September 5, 2008 by Norovirus Attorney

We often find ourselves running from one Norovirus outbreak to another on this blog.   There have been so many in the past year that it has left us little time to look at other Norovirus-related news.

That's why we are especially happy to pass along information about some research going on in the Pacific Northwest that holds the promise of providing solutions for water-borne Norovirus.

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has won a $600,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency for a research project that will develop an automated method for quantifying and monitoring viruses in water that cause gastrointestinal illness.

"EPA wants to find out where exactly the virus comes from and how prevalent it is in our drinking water supply," said Tim Straub, a senior research scientist at PNNL.  He spoke with the Kennewick, WA based Tri-City Herald.  The newspaper said:

Straub's research deals with human norovirus, which is transmitted through consumption of fecally contaminated water or food and by direct contact with an infected person.

An estimated 23 million cases of acute gastroenteritis are caused by norovirus infection in the U.S., the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on its website.

But it's not easy to monitor the virus, because it occurs in small quantities in a very large volume of water. So, it's possible that if two people drink water from the same source, only one may become infected with the virus.

EPA wants to help eliminate that probability factor by supporting research that makes it easier to detect the virus in water supply systems, he said.

The rest of the story can be found here.

 

 

 

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