Posted on 02/07/2018 9:19:32 AM PST by Tilted Irish Kilt
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea Olympic officials are scrambling to contain an outbreak of norovirus at the Winter Games,
which open here Friday, after 41 security guards fell ill.
More than 1,200 people have been quarantined while they are tested for the virus, which has caused vomiting and diarrhea among those affected,
and hundreds of soldiers have been deployed to make up the shortfall in security staff.
The outbreak, revealed just three days before Fridays Opening Ceremonies, is particularly unwelcome given the security concerns surrounding these Games, which are taking place just 50 miles from the border with North Korea.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
It’s not just about food contamination. You can pick it up off something like a doorknob if an infected person has touched it.
FWIW, I think I’d try to be careful where I eat, opt for stuff I can fix myself, but make darn sure to thoroughly wash my hands during the day, especially before they get anywhere near my mouth. :-)
Considering all the touching and security check points,
I imagine that the norovirus could spread internationally via observers
and thorough the athletic community, despite the fact that it is a 'closed community'
but they also would have to go through security check points too !
Exactly true !
Sounds like there is URGENT NEED for more port-a-potties over there. Gives more meaning to Trumps “comment” but then I understand SOK is a lot different than NOK when it comes to creature comforts. Let the “games” begin!
I know elderly people who isolate themselves during a regional flu or virus outbreak, and
buy food and supplies online using a credit card so that they won't be overly exposed.
Even this presupposes that the employee that packed your food and supplies hasn't already come down with the flu or virus.
But the older you are, and more vulnerable by other medical issues, you limit your exposure as best you can.
oh....then it did work after all
We should send them Mitt Romney to fix this.
Something a whole lot worse, bet 100%...
Please ping me on your posts? Thanx
Wow I think some of the smartest people on earth on here on FR and on the channels
A flu shot has no effect on a norovirus. Completely different type of virus and not covered in the influenza shots. There is to my knowledge no vaccine for the norovirus but it typically only last 24-48 hours.
It seems like every year, not long after school starts and during the winter, it makes its rounds in my parts. I think thats because kids arent always so good about handwashing especially at school and can transmit it easily among them and then bring it home with them to the rest of the family. But it can be deadly to some, especially nursing home patients.
Three years ago I went to Christmas at my nieces house. I felt OK until I got home later that night and was lying on my couch, feeling a bit nauseous but thinking it was because I ate too much and was watching a Christmas movie on TV. Then all of a sudden, I threw up - all over me, my couch my coffee table, the carpet and down the hall as I ran to the bathroom. And there is nothing like being sick and living alone and having to clean up that mess while still sick. Then the diarrhea came, followed by more vomiting.
I called my niece to give her a heads up but so far none of them were sick and I was confident it wasnt food poisoning. But the next day she called me to say that 3 of her 5 kids were sick as was her husband and her step son and several of their neighbors kids and family had it too, and theyd all gone to the same church Nativity play the day before Christmas Eve.
Just awful timing. Im curious if they have found the source of the norovirus. Last I read, there were ideas, but no real definitive answer.
Correct. Many people call it a stomach flu which adds to the confusion.
Norovirus is a gastro virus and is not at all related to the influenza the flu, which is a respiratory virus.
Not sure if its possible to get the flu from surfaces of items being shipped . But, I can see the norovirus being transferred on those surfaces .
I wonder what else was imported from NK? I’m sure the NK people are immune to a lot of stuff they are carrying around in their bodies.
It’s like when we go to Taiwan. We have to be careful what we eat and drink. The natives have built up a tolerance to whatever and don’t get sick by drinking the water etc.
Re: norovirus vaccines. A few Pharmaceutical companies are actually working on this and are in various stages of clinical trials.
Will be very helpful for cruise ships to have on hand.
Very good point. After my stem cell transplant, although us patients were in a sterile environment, (complete with 2 doors into to the unit and a suction mechanism to keep the hospital air from the unit) urged us to shower daily because our own skin carried bacteria which could make us sick since we had zero immune system. (It wasnt easy to do that on several days!)
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