Norovirus Outbreak hits-Prisons-Crews Ships-Casino

Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/politics/entries/2010/01/25/stomach_flu_outbreak_hits_pris.html?cxntfid=blogs_postcards

In preparation for what may be another wave of flu coming- Where at least 90% of the cases appear to be norovirus- it is hitting the prisons with a vengeance. 

		Stomach flu outbreak hits prisons

			By 	Mike Ward
 | 	Monday, January 25, 2010, 03:17 PM

		Five
prisons are under a form of medical quarantine because a highly
contagious stomach flu has sickened more than 1,600 convicts and staff
and appears to have spread to nearly a quarter of Texas’ state lockups,
officials said today.

Jason Clark, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Criminal
Justice, said more than 11,000 offenders at five prisons where the
outbreak of the suspected norovirus is worst are on medical restriction
— meaning visitation and transfers to other units have been canceled.

In all, Clark said, offenders at 26 prisons and two halfway houses
are experiencing symptoms of the illness — vomiting, diarrhea and
stomach cramps.

Visitation by family and friends was canceled altogether at seven
Texas prisons, and for parts of two others last weekend, officials said.

Noroviruses have made headlines in recent years for plaguing cruise
ships, and putting them out of commission for extensive cleaning.

“We’re continuing to monitor the situation and are aggressively
working to keep the illness from spreading further,” Clark said, noting
that the first signs of the outbreak surfaced about three weeks ago at
the Terrell Unit in Rosharon, southwest of Houston.

As of Friday, 611 of that prison’s 1,600 convicts had been felled by
the virus. Forty-two of the 479 employees had also been sick, he said.

Other units on medical restriction in addition to Terrell included
the 3,100-convict Michael Unit in Tennessee Colony, the 1,300-convict
Stevenson Unit in Cuero, the 3,500-convict Estelle Unit outside
Huntsville and the 1,400-convict Pack Unit in Navasota.

Clark said all but one housing unit at the historic Huntsville Unit
— commonly known as “The Walls” — were on medical restriction, the
Coffield Unit in Tennessee Colony had 10 housing units on restriction
and 19 other state lockups had varying numbers of inmates reported sick
with gastrointestinal illnesses — some confirmed as norovirus.

In an unusual step, officials also have canceled routine transfers
of convicts to the prison hospital in Galveston “to keep the this from
spreading there,” Clark said. “No one has had to be hospitalized yet.
We’re aggressively disinfecting the common areas to check the spread.

“It’s a fast-moving virus.”

Clark and other prison administrators said medical officials believe
the current outbreak is caused by the norovirus organism linked to 90
percent of non-bacterial gastroenteritis epidemics worldwide.

Prison officials said the illness typically runs its course in 24 to
72 hours, and all convicts are being actively treated for their
symptoms.

Clark said convicts are being restricted to their cells in an
attempt to prevent the illness from spreading — through
person-to-person contact, through contaminated food or water or via
contaminated surfaces.

Statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
show that about 300 people die from the illness annually. Such victims
generally are young or old or suffer from a compromised immune system.
comment: for those older or with a compromised immune system this is not as merciful as the elder avoiding Swine Flu. 
People cannot be contagious 2 weeks after they recover from stomach flu. 
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/gastro/norovirus-qa.htm

Therefore the urban legend if a child is asymptomatic they not contagious after they have had the flu is often false. 

We have generally seen NO EFFORT at all by parents with sick children or especially children who have been sick with norovirus make any effort to help protect others. They do not keep their children home from school or often even practice the most basic hand washing and sanitation. Groups of children play in pre-schools and thus the highly contagious virus spreads. 

CDC says:

Are 
        noroviruses contagious? 

      Noroviruses 
        are very contagious and can spread easily from person to person. Both 
        stool and vomit are infectious. Particular care should be taken with young 
        children in diapers who may have diarrhea.How 
        long are people contagious?
People infected 
        with norovirus are contagious from the moment they begin feeling ill to 
        at least 3 days after recovery. Some people may be contagious for as long 
        as 2 weeks after recovery. Therefore, it is particularly important for 
        people to use good handwashing and other hygienic practices after they 
        have recently recovered from norovirus illness.

Is there a treatment for "stomach flu" - Norovirus? None. 

CDC says:

Is there a treatment for norovirus infection?

There is no vaccine to prevent norovirus infection. And there is no
drug to treat people who are infected with the virus. Antibiotic drugs
will not help if you have norovirus infection. This is because they
fight against bacteria not viruses.

Medclinician

Norovirus Outbreak hits-Prisons-Crews Ships-Casino

Stomach flu outbreak hits prisons

It's Officially Norovirus Season Aboard Cruise Ships

Casino is sanitizing hourly to battle outbreak of norovirus

Cursed! Hundreds stricken as bug hits luxury liner three times in three weeks