BOARDING of the mega liner Voyager of the Seas was thrown into chaos yesterday following an outbreak of a gastrointestinal illness thought to be norovirus.
Some 135 passengers already aboard the ship, which arrived from New Zealand on Thursday, were struck by the illness, along with eight staff, a spokeswoman confirmed, adding this was about 4 per cent of the ship’s guests.
“Those affected by the short-lived illness have responded well to over the counter medication administered on board the ship”‘ Royal Carribbean said in a statement late yesterday.
Noroviruses are a group of viruses that are the most common cause of gastroenteritis (stomach bugs). They are very contagious and can spread easily from person to person. People exposed to the virus usually develop symptoms of illness within 24 to 48 hours, but symptoms can occur as early as 12 hours after exposure.
Common-sense based disinfection guidelines to control norovirus contamination have been developed, but now, for the first time, a Dutch team has come up with science-based guidelines.
In the study the researchers first determined how low the concentration of virions needed to go for transmission to become unlikely. They then tested different methods of cleaning hard surfaces, by using water, soap, or chlorine bleach solutions to determine the best method, or combination of methods for achieving a sufficiently low concentration to prevent virus transmission from hard surfaces, such as your kitchen counters.
The researchers prescribe a two-step process: wipe with a wet cloth, and then disinfect with chlorine. Their prescription is directed at hospitals, schools, restaurants, and other food-handling establishments. In most cases, a 250 ppm solution of chlorine is sufficient, but for high levels of contamination, they recommend 1,000 ppm. To achieve 1,000 ppm, one Suma Tab D4 tablet must be dissolved in 1.5 liters of water (about a quart and a half).
Norovirus is no more resistant to cleaning and disinfection than other pathogens. The virus’ efficiency in causing outbreaks “is more likely due to their extremely low infectious dose,” resulting in the requirement of a very low level of residual contamination in order to prevent further transmission. Fortunately, reducing the level of residual contamination to that low level is not that difficult and can be achieved without extreme measures.
A Primrose Hill school was closed today after more than 200 pupils and 15 members of staff were struck down with the contagious Norovirus.
Health inspectors ruled the winter vomiting bug was present at North Bridge House Preparatory School. The building in Gloucester Avenue was being cleansed today amid fears the virus could spread to the school’s other buildings.
In a letter sent to parents, headteacher Brodie Bibby said the school was “afflicted by a particularly unpleasant virus.”
Any children showing signs of sickness were told to be kept at home by parents, she wrote – adding that any children still well enough were invited to attend a planned performance of Swan Lake tomorrow night.
She added that “a specialist team will clean the entire school with anti-viral sprays and use air-based products.”
One parent told a local newspaper that his daughter “suddenly turned white and projectile vomited all over her bedroom” after being struck down with the illness this week.
North Bridge House, which also has a nursery school, a junior and a senior school at different sites in Camden, will reopen on Monday.
A cruise ship delayed its departure from Southampton after a suspected outbreak of norovirus on board. Celebrity Cruises’ vessel Constellation arrived in the city’s port at 06:00 GMT at the end of a 12-night cruise. Southampton’s Port Health Authority said about 350 passengers had fallen ill with the vomiting and diarrhoea bug. Its departure was delayed until 20:00 while deep cleaning took place.
The authority’s Rosie Zambra confirmed it was informed of “concerns over an increased levels of what appeared to be norovirus” several days before the ship’s arrival.
Posted in Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Virus, Foodborne Illness, Hand Washing, Hygiene, Illness, Microbiology, Norovirus, Pathogen, Virus
Tagged celebrity cruises, night cruise, transportation, vomiting and diarrhoea
At least 39 people fell ill with Norovirus infections after eating at a restaurant in central Illinois last week, according to the local health department.
All of those sickened were among a group of 80 people who attended an end-of-year banquet for a high school soccer team at Alexander’s Steakhouse in Peoria, IL October 28, reported the Peoria Journal Star.
Though the restaurant served a total of 1,100 meals the weekend the banquet was held, no patrons other than those who attended the banquet contracted the virus.
Victims experienced typical symptoms of Norovirus infection, including vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal cramps.
CDC (full letter)
Bivalve mollusks (shellfish), such as mussels and oysters, are filter feeders; they concentrate microorganisms of human and animal origin (up to 100×) from the surrounding environment. Several recent reports have linked the incidence of human infection with hepatitis E virus (HEV) to consumption of undercooked pork, game products, and shellfish (1,2). Infectious HEV has been found in swine manure and wastewater (3); therefore, application of manure to land and subsequent runoff could contaminate coastal water, leading to contamination of shellfish and, subsequently, possible human infection. Because they are filter feeders, bivalve mollusks are biologically relevant sentinels and can indicate potential pathogens that are contaminating the environment. It is essential to ensure that this sustainable resource of coastal areas, where mussels and oysters are farmed or collected wild, is not subjected to environmental contamination that could lead to public health risks.
Risk management for bivalve mollusks, aimed at control of fecal pollution, relies heavily on the use of Escherichia coli as an indicator of fecal (sewage) contamination and is enacted under European food regulations (Regulation 854/2004, www.cefas.co.uk/media/455777/extract_reg_no_854_2004.pdf 
). However, although these regulations probably reduce the number of infections, especially bacterial infections, they are not viewed as adequately controlling the risk for viral infections. Specific risks are posed by the robustness of viruses in the environment and the different behavior of viruses within bivalve mollusks compared with behavior within bacterial fecal indicators.
An outbreak of norovirus among staff members at Montreal’s Jewish General Hospital led to the temporary closure of the hospital’s neurology clinic last week, CBC has learned.
About 45 employees at the hospital came down with gastrointestinal symptoms, including diarrhea, cramps and fever, after eating food that may have originated in an in-house catering service that is only used by staff.
The service is run by the hospital’s Atrium Café, a franchise operated by a volunteer auxiliary, which also serves hundreds of staff and visitors to the hospital each day.
The coffee shop is independent of the hospital’s main cafeteria.
“We closed the coffee shop immediately on Thursday afternoon,” said hospital spokesman Glenn Nashen. “Tests were done all day Friday, and although nothing has been conclusive at this point, the suspicion is that [the virus] may have come from this catering service.”
Nashen said as far as the hospital knows, only staff at the hospital caught the virus.
So many staff members in the neurology department fell ill that the neurology clinic had to be closed for half a day on Thursday and all of Friday.
The neurology clinic is expected to be open again on Monday.
Until the infection prevention and control team determines the specific cause of the outbreak, the coffee shop will remain closed, Nashen said
Two more cases of E. coli have been confirmed in Orkney, with a third suspected case currently being investigated. All three cases are children who attend the same nursery in Kirkwall. NHS Orkney said there was no evidence to suggest transmission of the infection had taken place at the premises.
Health officials will now screen children and staff from the nursery concerned as a precaution.
There have already been six other confirmed cases of E. coli infection in Orkney since August.
Turns out, a wholesaler had sold contaminated frozen strawberries to commercial kitchens of three companies that made cafeteria food for schools and kindergartens, among them Sodexo. Sources among the food investigators stated that the strawberries had most likely come from China.
When the strawberries were thawed to be used in desserts, they weren’t always fully heated, and the noroviruses, which are particularly resistant to cold and heat, survived. The different thawing processes used in various facilities could explain why infections occurred in some schools but not in others, though all used the strawberries from the same shipment.
FoodWorld 