A suspected norovirus outbreak has been declared at the Stateville Correctional Facility in Illinois. Illinois Department of Corrections spokesperson Melaney Arnold told Food Poisoning Bulletin that approximately 144 inmates reported becoming ill after Christmas. No patients have been hospitalized. Food testing is underway to try to determine the source of the outbreak.
The Department of Corrections and the Illinois Department of Public Health are working on the outbreak investigation and control efforts. Samples have been sent to the state laboratory, and public health officials are waiting for results.
A new strain of a stomach virus has caused at least three outbreaks in San Luis Obispo County within the past month, according to local health officials.
All three outbreaks, two of which occurred in restaurants and one in a long-term care facility, were caused from a new strain of the Norovirus from Australia, GII strain. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever and body aches.
The highly contagious virus is spread through contact with infected people, consuming infected foods or touching infected surfaces. Health officials are asking those who are infected to stay home as they are still contagious for a time after symptoms have subsided.
Each Year Norovirus infections cause an estimated 21 million illnesses in the United States, and 70,000 hospitalizations.
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