| Norovirus confirmed as source of recent illnesses |
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| Friday, 29 June 2012 13:35 | |||
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Norovirus has been confirmed as the source of hundreds turning up ill last month in the Turks and Caicos Islands, says the Ministry of Health and Education and Environmental Health Department. Both departments say they are continuing their investigation into a recent outbreak of diarrhea and vomiting, primarily affecting hotels and resorts in Providenciales, but that norovirus has been identified as the causative agent based on the clinical features of the illness and laboratory confirmation from the Caribbean Epidemiology Center (CAREC). Norovirus infection causes a highly contagious viral illness, which is common in outbreaks of gastroenteritis (diarrhea and vomiting) throughout the world. It can be rapidly transmitted from person to person, through contact with vomitus or feces of infected individuals, contaminated food or water, soiled surfaces, bed linens, gym equipment, etc. It usually requires little or no medical intervention and usually resolves without incident. Infection control measures focused on personal hygiene and deep cleaning and sanitization are vital to prevent the spread of Norovirus. “These are being promoted throughout the TCI,” the ministry said in a June 27 statement. Two resorts closed to new guests in June to sanitize their properties. Public health teams continue to conduct active surveillance at airports and affected hotels, and the ministry says reports of new illness have decreased. However, investigations by the Public Health Team are ongoing and are now focused on supervising and monitoring the hotels and resorts as they implement the required deep cleaning and sanitization procedures.
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