Posted on 02/11/2007 5:52:54 AM PST by NCjim
Two hospitals are asking visitors, especially children, to stay away until they control an outbreak of a highly contagious stomach virus that has sickened patients and staff members.
"We're just asking the community to help out," said Dr. Ward Robinson, an infectious disease specialist at Moses Cone Hospital. "I don't think this is the black plague coming into Greensboro."
Doctors confirmed an outbreak at the hospital and believe the virus also has hit Wesley Long Hospital. The number of people affected wasn't immediately available, hospital officials said.
Three suspected norovirus cases first appeared on Feb. 1 and were not confirmed until Wednesday, Doug Allred, a spokesman for Moses Cone Health System, said Friday.
The hospitals will admit new patients who will be sent to areas considered clear of the virus.
"All services are running as normal," Allred said. "Mostly this is aimed at visitors to take these precautions."
Allred said it wasn't clear where the infection originated.
"It's coming in from elsewhere," he said. "It's in our community."
A number of cruises, airplane flights, hotels and other gathering places have been stricken over the past several years with outbreaks of noroviruses.
The viruses can cause diarrhea, stomach pain and vomiting for two to four days, but are generally not fatal, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Ping
They're lucky it's Norwalk.
I was spared but lots of my colleagues got it. Nasty stuff, that.
Seems there have ben an awful lot of Norwalk / norovirus outbreaks lately. Considering we're talking about fecal-oral transmission, it points out a simple trend I have noticed in recent years: people just don't wash their hands after using the bathroom.
Think about it: how many times have you seen somebody walk right out of the WC without stopping to wash their hands, or seen somebody just run a little cold water over their hands as if that accomplished anything?
We live in Jacksonville and this stuff has been going around this month. I've had it twice, the kids have had it, and last week over half of the church had it. It is nasty!
* Norwalk virus infection is an intestinal illness that often occurs in outbreaks.
* Norwalk and Norwalk-like viruses are increasingly being recognized as leading causes of foodborne disease in the United States.
* The viruses are passed in the stool of infected persons. People get infected by swallowing stool-contaminated food or water. Outbreaks in the United States are often linked to raw oysters.
* Infected people usually recover in 2 to 3 days without serious or long-term health effects.
* To prevent Norwalk virus infection: 1) wash hands with soap and warm water after toilet visits and before preparing or eating food; 2) cook all shellfish thoroughly before eating; 3) wash raw vegetables before eating; and 4) dispose of sewage in a sanitary manner.
Hello Freeps I hope you read this.
I have two friends in the 60-70 range. They got this but the respitoray part of it is so painful they each had thought they were having heart attacks and took thier nitro pills.
When they arrived at the hospital by ambulance it was not a heart condition at all but this virus.
yep, I've seen this in Orange county or at least something similar, got my daughter recently and some of our friends.
I've heard of people over here around Rocky Mount getting it too.
Luckily no one in my family has caught it! (so far)
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Greensboro "Truth & Reconciliation" making everyone sick?
You're sooo bad ;^)
A few people I know here are reporting similar symptoms. One friend went from feeling fine, to lethargic, to vomiting in a two-hour period yesterday afternoon. I'm going to ask her if she's been to G'boro/Moses Cone or Wesley Long recently.
I just found out that on one day last week the Faulkner hospital's, in Jamaica plain MA, emergency room was closed to more people. One of the people i mentioned was there at the time and was admitted just before they did this. There is no mention in the news........... they just turned people away.
I wonder if the flu shot prevails against the norovirus.
Same strain?
6 area children with flu on life support Number, severity of early cases alarm officials
My wife just called and said that 27 people were admitted to the hospital here in Rocky Mount with this virus.
I thought of your thread of course. This was just LAST NIGHT that the 27 were admitted.
Thanks for the update - stay well, OK?
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