There is an unwelcome visitor at the winter games, despised in all of the venues: the norovirus has arrived. This potential microbial game changer is already responsible for 261 confirmed cases of illness (as of February 16, 2018) in a norovirus outbreak that evidently began with security guards in PyeongChang and has spread to athletes.
Norovirus, the dreaded illness popularly known as the “stomach bug,” is the leading cause of gastrointestinal upset in the US. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are 19 to 21 million cases of norovirus in the US annually. The highly contagious virus is an unwelcome visitor in schools, day
Norovirus, the dreaded “stomach flu” or “winter vomiting disease,” is spreading misery far and wide this winter. The Wall Street Journal (January 24) reported on multiple school closures across the US and unhappy households in which family members are falling sick in succession like a line of dominoes. Meet the Virus Not a flu but
Is there such a thing as a “perfect” human pathogen? If by perfect we mean a disease-causing microorganism that is highly contagious; quickly and profusely shed in the environment by its hosts; and able to evolve rapidly to both avoid widespread human immunity and ensure a large pool of susceptible hosts, then norovirus comes very
Norovirus: It’s the leading cause of outbreaks of diarrhea and vomiting in the US. The virus can spread like wildfire through homes, schools, healthcare facilities, sports teams, child care centers and nursing homes. Norovirus causes an average of 20 million cases of illness each year, including tens of thousands of hospitalizations and hundreds of deaths,
Norovirus, the notorious “stomach bug,” can spread like wildfire through homes, schools, healthcare facilities and cruise ships. According to a recent report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the virus also can be spread among swimmers in natural water bodies. In July, 2014, 70 people became ill with norovirus after swimming
Norovirus is notorious for spoiling a good time wherever it shows up, whether onboard a cruise ship1,2, in a restaurant3,4, or even at a musical performance5. In 2005, norovirus made fast work of a summer wrestling camp at a residential college. The camp closed early after over 100 people became sick. A new scientific study6
Norovirus—sometimes dubbed “the stomach bug” – is making notable appearances around the nation as winter gives way to spring. Alexandria, Virginia schools closed their doors in recent days to disinfect in an effort to stem outbreaks. Virginia students on a class trip to New York City were hospitalized after becoming sick at a performance of
The family trip to see our children play in a sports tournament has become almost as American as apple pie. Yet recent news reports demonstrate the fun of these events can be destroyed by the infamous norovirus (aka stomach bug). A recent youth football tournament in Las Vegas, for example, was marred by a visit
Norovirus, the highly contagious “Winter Vomiting Bug1” or “Stomach Flu2” has taken to the great outdoors, hitch-hiking with travelers on the Appalachian Trail (AT) and accompanying tourists to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. This virus, the bane of cruise ship vacationers, can also ruin a land-based vacation. Norovirus on the “AT” According to a