Noroviruses Marion County Public Health Department.
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Transcript of Noroviruses Marion County Public Health Department.
Noroviruses
Marion CountyPublic Health Department
What are noroviruses? Group of viruses that cause the
“stomach flu,” or gastroenteritis The term norovirus was recently
approved as the official name for this group of viruses.
Approximately 23 million cases each year in U.S.
Leading cause of outbreaks of gastroenteritis
Symptoms Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea,
abdominal cramps Sometimes low-grade fever, chills,
headache, myalgia, fatigue Often begins suddenly, and the
infected person may feel very sick
Incubation, Duration, Communicability Incubation period: 12 - 48 hours
(median in outbreaks is 33 - 36 hours)
Duration of illness: 24 - 60 hours
Period of communicability: onset through 72 hours after recovery
Transmission Found in the stool and vomit of infected
people Infective dose as few as 100 viral
particles Can be transmitted several ways:
Eating food or drinking liquids that are contaminated with norovirus
Direct person-to-person spread Airborne and fomite transmission in droplets
contaminating surfaces or entering the mouth and being swallowed
How serious is it? Usually not serious, although people
may feel very sick and vomit many times a day
Most get better within 1 or 2 days, and they have no long-term health effects related to their illness
Can be serious for the very young, the elderly, and persons with weakened immune systems due to dehydration
Treatment Drink plenty of fluids to prevent
dehydration No antiviral medication No vaccine to prevent infection Cannot be treated with antibiotics
because antibiotics work to fight bacteria and not viruses
Immunity Limited immunity, may be strain
specific and last only a few months Can recur throughout a person’s
lifetime Some people are more likely to
become infected and develop more severe illness than others Example: people with O blood group most
susceptible
Critical Characteristics Highly contagious Multiple modes of transmission Stable in the environment Resistant to routine disinfection
methods Asymptomatic infections Limited immunity
Definition of a Gastroenteritis Outbreak
An outbreak is a higher number of ill cases above baseline
2-3 ill cases with vomiting or diarrhea at a facility maybe a signal that an outbreak is starting
Facilities are required by law to report any suspected outbreak of disease and are permitted to provide information on illnesses per HIPAA
Hand Washing After using restrooms and before
eating Before and after direct contact with
residents Hand wash sinks have warm water,
soap, and paper towels Alcohol-based hand sanitizer to
supplement hand washing
Hand washing is the single most important practice to prevent the spread of outbreaks!
HANDS MUST BE WASHED:Whenever they are visibly soiled or there has been contact with stool.Between contact with different residents.Before putting on gloves and after removing gloves.After using the toilet.Before eating or smoking.Before handling or preparing food.
A PROPER HAND WASH INCLUDES:Using warm running water and soap with plenty of friction for 20 seconds.Using a clean paper towel to dry your hands and to turn off the tap.
Use of a waterless hand sanitizer may be substituted for hand washing only if adequate sink facilities are not immediately accessible and hands are not visibly soiled.
General Staff Guidelines Educate regular and agency staff
about infection control practice Eliminate floating staff from affected
to unaffected areas Notify supervisor immediately if ill Furlough ill staff for 72 hours after
symptoms resolve Ill food service workers and servers
should not prepare or handle food
General Staff Guidelines Wear gloves, gowns, and mask during
contact with ill residents Pairing employees who have
recovered from the illness with currently ill residents
Exclude non-essential personnel
Residents and Visitors Recommend no new admissions Confine ill residents to rooms until 72
hours after symptoms resolve Place ill resident on contact precautions Cancel group activities (dining room) Do not transfer residents from affected
areas to unaffected areas Post signs to inform visitors of outbreak Do not allow children to visit
What can happen if the dining room is not closed?
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# of Cases
General Cleaning Principles
Wear disposable gloves, gowns, and mask when cleaning up vomit or diarrhea
Clean soiled areas with detergent and hot water first
Always clean with paper towels or disposable cloths and dispose in infectious waste bags.
Disinfect with freshly-made (daily) bleach solution of 1/2 cup of 6% household bleach to one gallon of water
Cleaning Specific Things Increase routine cleaning Contaminated hard surfaces: soak up
excess liquid with paper towels, thoroughly clean with hot water and detergent, and disinfect with a bleach solution
Contaminated carpets: soak up excess liquid with paper towels, clean with hot water and detergent, then disinfect with bleach solution (if bleach-resistant) or steam clean
Cleaning Specific Things Frequently clean hand contact
surfaces, e.g. door handles, railings, tabletops, etc. with bleach solution
Virkon Disinfectant Potassium peroxymonosulfate and
Sodium chloride (equivalent to 9.75% available chlorine)
Currently available Wilco Farm Stores Check Marion County Health website:
http://health.co.marion.or.us/ph/epid
Laundry Staff Wear disposable gloves, gowns, and
mask when handling contaminated laundry
Maintain separate bins for dirty and clean laundry
Place contaminated laundry in impermeable bags for transportation to laundry room
Kitchen Staff Furlough ill staff for 72 hours after symptoms
resolve. After returning to work, restrict from handling kitchenware and ready-to-eat food for another 72 hours
Double hand wash after using restroom, eating, breaks
Use single-use gloves in addition to hand washing Limit access of bin-style ice machine to kitchen
staff Keep food covered when transporting Discard any food handled by an infected worker Disinfect food prep areas with bleach solution
Vomiting Incidents in the Kitchen Carefully remove all visible vomit. Disinfect food preparation area with ½
cup of bleach to one gallon of water. Discard exposed food or single-serve
articles within a 25-foot radius of the incident.
Food contact surface disinfection should be followed with a clear-water rinse and a final wipe down of 1 tablespoon of bleach to one gallon of water.
Dining Post signs encouraging hand washing
before eating Discontinue self-service salad bars,
family style dining, communal fruit bowls
Provide alcohol-based hand sanitizer to supplement hand washing
Public Restrooms
Discourage use when possible Clean frequently using a freshly made
bleach solution of 1/2 cup of 6% household bleach to one gallon of water
Bleach
Gastroenteritis Outbreaks in Marion County for 2006
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Jan March May July Sept Nov
UnknownNorovirus
Gastroenteritis Outbreaks in Marion County 2007
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67
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Jan March May July Sept Nov
UnknownNorovirus
Gastroenteritis Outbreaks in Marion County 2008
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Jan March May July Sept Nov
UnknownNorovirus
Marion County Health Department Follow Up Collecting data on Gastroenteritis
Case Log until Norovirus is identified Collecting stool samples Putting control measures into place
for staff, residents, volunteers, and visitors
Site visit by Environmental Health Working with Oregon Health Division Daily monitoring of outbreak
Addition information and forms on MCHD website: http://health.co.marion.or.us/ph/epid
Collecting Stool Specimens 5-6 stools from ill or recently ill
resident and staff. Collect stool specimen, the size of a
walnut in a clean container with a lid. Label container with name, dob, and
date collected. Refrigerate until specimen can be
brought in to the health department.
Outbreak Declared Over
Seven days must pass without new cases before an outbreak of
Norovirus-like gastroenteritis is declared over
Partnership with other agencies Reinforcing the same control
measures Building continuity of care Promoting communication
between the health department and other agencies