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Appalachian Trail hikers stricken with virus
News and Record ^ | 4/10/12 | Staff

Posted on 04/10/2013 10:11:35 AM PDT by Rebelbase

Hikers using part of the Appalachian Trail are being warned about a stomach virus.

The U.S. Forest Service released a warning Tuesday to hikers traveling from Hot Springs north to the Tennessee border to be aware of a stomach virus, the Asheville Citizen-Times is reporting.

That section of the trail goes through the Appalachian Ranger District in Pisgah National Forest.

.....The article is excerpting one from the Asheville paper that hates FR and doesn't allow linking. If you click the article you'll see a link to the Asheville article.

This is the time of year when through-hikers start out from GA and several days later are passing through NC.

There's a 70 mile section where hikers are coming down with a stomach bug that's making run out of both ends.

Read some comments that the trail shelters in this section are filthy with partially digested stomach contents.

Mark Sanford has made no comment.


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: appalachianhurl; appalachiantrail; health; pisgahnatlforest; tennessee
Towns and supporting inns along the trail are seeing a significant increase in sick hikers.
1 posted on 04/10/2013 10:11:35 AM PDT by Rebelbase
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To: Rebelbase

“stomach bug that’s making run out of both ends.”

Sounds like something I had a few years back.


2 posted on 04/10/2013 10:13:45 AM PDT by CJ Wolf
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To: Rebelbase

Bird poop, on hand rails. Happens from time to time. The rangers need to bleach all hand contact surfaces. Probably can’t due to sequestration.


3 posted on 04/10/2013 10:22:58 AM PDT by RedHeeler
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To: CJ Wolf

Sounds like something I had last week. Nasty. 10 hours I wouldn’t wish on a Democrat, although they are used to it coming out of both ends.


4 posted on 04/10/2013 10:22:59 AM PDT by dirtboy
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To: Rebelbase

Norovirus.

It’s here in my area as well, but not on the hiking trails.
And since people tend not to go to the hospital for it, it doesn’t get tracked or reported.


5 posted on 04/10/2013 10:40:18 AM PDT by Darksheare (Try my coffee, first one's free.....)
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To: Rebelbase

Somebody forgot to boil their drinking water, sounds like.


6 posted on 04/10/2013 11:00:33 AM PDT by Boogieman
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To: Boogieman

Or maybe forgot to stock up on toilet paper before htting the trail.....


7 posted on 04/10/2013 11:17:56 AM PDT by Pecos (If more sane people carried guns, fewer crazies would get off a second shot.)
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To: Darksheare

“Norovirus.”

Yep, almost certainly Norovirus. Super highly contagious and can only be killed on surfaces with bleach. It’s not the trails that are infected, but all the motels, hotels, restaurants and other public facilities along the trails that are harboring the disease, exacerbated by poor cleaning and sanitation practices.

Most likely, unless a concerted effort is made to properly cleanse all of the these facilities all at the same time, this nasty little disease is gonna hang around for a very long time.


8 posted on 04/10/2013 11:35:52 AM PDT by catnipman (Cat Nipman: Vote Republican in 2012 and only be called racist one more time!)
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To: catnipman

Reminds me of that rash of cruise ships a couple years back that got dusted with the stuff.
All it takes is one person to not wash their hands after using the can, touches one surface, and it goes from there.
[See Muslim ‘custom’ of using a hand to wipe their butt.]


9 posted on 04/10/2013 11:41:10 AM PDT by Darksheare (Try my coffee, first one's free.....)
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To: Darksheare

The Asheville paper’s article talked about that. If someone projectile vomits all over the trail shelter there’s no way to clean it up, next crowd comes through and gets infected.


10 posted on 04/10/2013 12:12:41 PM PDT by Rebelbase (1929-1950's, 20+years for full recovery. How long this time?)
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To: Darksheare

Norovirus hit the Boy Scout camp here and shut it down. It’s a pain to get out.


11 posted on 04/10/2013 12:15:32 PM PDT by AppyPappy (You never see a massacre at a gun show.)
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To: Rebelbase

Mark Sanford is deeply concerned.


12 posted on 04/10/2013 1:01:29 PM PDT by Carpe Cerevisi
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To: AppyPappy; Rebelbase

From what I understand, the bleach needs to stay wet for five minutes to kill the stuff off.
That’s really hard to accomplish even under perfect conditions.


13 posted on 04/10/2013 1:30:11 PM PDT by Darksheare (Try my coffee, first one's free.....)
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To: Darksheare

“Reminds me of that rash of cruise ships a couple years back that got dusted with the stuff.”

Actually, still happens fairly frequently on the cruise ships but press doesn’t bother to report.

Also, Norovirus is bad news when it gets into an elementary school or old folks home, particularly the latter as it can actually finish off the real weak ones.


14 posted on 04/10/2013 2:22:53 PM PDT by catnipman (Cat Nipman: Vote Republican in 2012 and only be called racist one more time!)
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To: catnipman

Yug, remind me never to go on a cruise or get old.


15 posted on 04/10/2013 2:46:11 PM PDT by Darksheare (Try my coffee, first one's free.....)
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To: CJ Wolf

There eating the wrong mushroom!


16 posted on 04/10/2013 2:50:09 PM PDT by LocDoc
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