A dozen students, including six staff members were treated at area hospitals for dehydration, and then released. The health officials sent cleaning crews into dormitory bathrooms and dining halls as precautionary measures. The pool was also shut down for 24 hours for cleaning.
In other news, FDA has linked the norovirus outbreak on the Texas Gulf coast north of Corpus Christi to raw oysters harvested in San Antonio Bay. Around 25 people who ate the raw oysters at a "bull and oyster" event in Maryland on Feb. 9 tested positive for norovirus.
Following the outbreak, Bayview Seafood, a distributor in Seadrift, Texas, issued a voluntary recall of the oysters on Feb. 26.
Norovirus is an emerging virus and recent scientific findings reveal that it causes around 50% of all gastroenteritis (stomach pain, diarrhea, and vomiting) around the world. It is therefore now the most important virus associated with this condition.
Norovirus symptoms usually occur within two days of exposure and other symptoms include low-grade fever, chills, muscle aches, and fatigue. The illness typically lasts one to two days.
Symptoms may persist for several days and may become life-threatening in the young, the elderly, and the immune-compromised if dehydration is ignored or not treated. Hand washing remains an effective method to reduce the spread of norovirus pathogens. Norovirus can be aerosolized when those stricken with the illness vomit. Surface sanitizing is recommended in areas where the norovirus may be present on surfaces.
