From the Nurses Desk;

Norovirus Outbreak

More than 100 students, staff at Seattle school sickened by norovirus More than 100 students and staff at Leschi Elementary School in Seattle reported being sick on Thursday.

What Is Norovirus? Norovirus is a very contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea. People of all ages can get infected and sick with norovirus. Norovirus causes inflammation of the stomach or intestines. This is called acute gastroenteritis. What Are the Signs & Symptoms of norovirus? If you have norovirus illness, you can feel extremely ill, and vomit or have diarrhea many times a day. This can lead to dehydration, especially in young children, older adults, and people with other illnesses.

Is Norovirus Contagious? You can get norovirus by accidentally getting tiny particles of poop or vomit from an infected person in your mouth. This can happen if you eat food or drink liquids that are contaminated with norovirus, touch surfaces or objects contaminated with norovirus then put your fingers in your mouth, or have direct contact with someone who is infected with norovirus, such as by caring for them or sharing food or eating utensils with them. If you get norovirus illness, you can shed billions of norovirus particles that you can’t see without a microscope. Only a few norovirus particles can make other people sick. You are most contagious when you have symptoms of norovirus illness, especially vomiting, and during the first few days after you recover from norovirus illness. However, studies have shown that you can still spread norovirus for two weeks or more after you feel better.

How Is Norovirus Treated? If you have norovirus illness, you should drink plenty of liquids to replace fluid lost from vomiting and diarrhea. This will help prevent dehydration. Dehydration can lead to serious problems. Severe dehydration may require hospitalization for treatment with fluids given through your vein (intravenous or IV fluids). Watch for signs of dehydration in children who have norovirus illness. Children who are dehydrated may cry with few or no tears and be unusually sleepy or fussy. If you think you or someone you are caring for is severely dehydrated, call the doctor.

Can Norovirus Be Prevented?

Practice proper hand hygiene Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water especially after using the toilet or changing diapers always before eating, preparing, or handling food, and before giving yourself or someone else medicine. Norovirus can be found in your vomit or poop even before you start feeling sick. The virus can stay in your poop for 2 weeks or more after you feel better. It is important to continue washing your hands often during this time. You can use alcohol-based hand sanitizers in addition to hand washing. But, you should not use hand sanitizer as a substitute for washing your hands with soap and water. Hand sanitizers aren’t as effective as washing hands with soap and water at removing norovirus particles. See “ Handwashing: Clean Hands Save Lives. ”

Handle and prepare food safely Carefully wash fruits and vegetables before preparing and eating them. Cook oysters and other shellfish thoroughly before eating them. Be aware that noroviruses are relatively resistant to heat. They can survive temperatures as high as 145°F and quick steaming processes that are often used for cooking shellfish. Food that might be contaminated with norovirus should be thrown out. Keep sick infants and children out of areas where food is being handled and prepared. When you are sick, do not prepare food or care for others You should not prepare food for others or provide healthcare while you are sick and for at least 2 days after symptoms stop. This also applies to sick workers in restaurants, schools, daycares, long-term care facilities, and other places where they may expose people to norovirus.

Clean and disinfect surfaces After someone vomits or has diarrhea, always thoroughly clean and disinfect the entire area immediately. Put on rubber or disposable gloves, and wipe the entire area with paper towels, then disinfect the area using a bleach-based household cleaner as directed on the product label. Leave the bleach disinfectant on the affected area for at least five minutes then clean the entire area again with soap and hot water. Finish by cleaning soiled laundry, taking out the trash, and washing your hands. To help make sure that food is safe from norovirus, routinely clean and sanitize kitchen utensils, counters, and surfaces before preparing food. You should use a chlorine bleach solution with a concentration of 1000 to 5000 ppm (5 to 25 tablespoons of household bleach [5% to 8%] per gallon of water) or other disinfectant registered as effective against norovirus by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). For more information, see  EPA’s Registered Antimicrobial Products Effective Against Norovirus (Norwalk-like virus)  Wash laundry thoroughly Immediately remove and wash clothes or linens that may be contaminated with vomit or poop. You should: handle soiled items carefully without agitating them, wear rubber or disposable gloves while handling soiled items and wash your hands after, and wash the items with detergent and hot water at the maximum available cycle length then machine dry them at the highest heat setting.

‌

If you have any questions or need to consult with me I can be reached at (206)723-1590 or jboles@tinytotsdc.org . In an emergency you can call my cellphone (206)518-1921. Thank you for being a parent at Tiny Tots Development Center, “where loving care comes first”

Contact Me

Unsubscribe from Tiny Tots email list

Jacqualine Boles | 206-518-1921