Virus strikes Country Fair cleanup crew.Byline: Mark Baker The Register-Guard VENETA - About 50 of the more than 100 volunteers who cleaned up after the close of the Oregon Country Fair The Oregon Country Fair (OCF) is a three-day fair that takes place yearly beginning on the Friday of the second weekend in July in Veneta, Oregon, approximately 15 miles west of Eugene, with an attendance of approximately 45,000 over the three day period, with attendance peaking last month became sick with a norovirus infection - an acute, but typically not serious, case of gastroenteritis gastroenteritis: see enteritis. gastroenteritis Acute infectious syndrome of the stomach lining and intestines. Symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps. . "We're just really grateful it wasn't worse," said Leslie Scott Leslie Scott may refer to:
Workers arrived on a Sunday night, July 13, after the fair closed for the annual weeklong cleanup, and by Monday several reported feeling ill, Scott said. By Thursday, many more people were feeling awful, and that's when a call was made to the Lane County Public Health Department. Health department employees visited the site July 18 and took stool samples, said Betsy Meredith, a nursing supervisor with the department. Interviews were conducted with 49 cleanup workers, Meredith said. The state Department of Human Services also conducted an investigation but no food-borne source was found, said Dr. Beletshachew Shiferaw, a clinical epidemiologist with the state department who visited the site. Food booths were dismantled after the fair ended, and workers cooked and ate from a common kitchen during the cleanup week, Scott said. But it's most likely that someone, probably one of the cleanup workers, brought the illness to the site and then it spread, Meredith said. Known as the Norwalk virus Nor·walk virus n. A norovirus. Norwalk virus (nôr´wôlk), n. for more than 30 years since its discovery in Norwalk, Ohio, in 1972, the illness is now classified as one of several "noroviruses" by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), agency of the U.S. Public Health Service since 1973, with headquarters in Atlanta; it was established in 1946 as the Communicable Disease Center. in Atlanta. It's also known as the "cruise ship" virus because of a growing number of outbreaks on such vessels in recent years. The virus is passed by swallowing food or water that has been contaminated contaminated, v 1. made radioactive by the addition of small quantities of radioactive material. 2. made contaminated by adding infective or radiographic materials. 3. an infective surface or object. with stool or vomit from an infected person. The illness does not pose a serious health threat, but it's miserable for those who get it, Meredith said. Symptoms usually appear within 24 or 48 hours of ingestion ingestion /in·ges·tion/ (-chun) the taking of food, drugs, etc., into the body by mouth. in·ges·tion n. 1. The act of taking food and drink into the body by the mouth. 2. and are much like food poisoning food poisoning, acute illness following the eating of foods contaminated by bacteria, bacterial toxins, natural poisons, or harmful chemical substances. It was once customary to classify all such illnesses as "ptomaine poisoning," but it was later discovered that or the stomach flu. They include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramps and usually last about a day. The best defense is washing your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds, said Dr. Sarah Hendrickson, Lane County's public health officer, who came in brief contact with the illness herself last month while attending a family church camp in Kitsap County, Wash. "Almost half of us got sick with it," said Hendrickson, who believes she just got a touch of it because she's so diligent about hand-washing. More norovirus cases are occurring in the Northwest, and outbreaks are increasing in nursing homes, she said. "I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. if it's happening more frequently or if we're just uncovering them more often," Hendrickson said. Those infected sometimes are unable to drink enough liquids to replace the liquids they lost because of vomiting and diarrhea, according to the CDC See Control Data, century date change and Back Orifice. CDC - Control Data Corporation . This is usually seen in small children, older people or those with weakened immune systems. NOROVIRUSES Also known as the Norwalk virus or the cruise ship virus, these highly contagious and rapidly spreading viruses cause stomach flu or gastroenteritis. Symptoms: Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps. Sometimes causes low-grade fever, chills, headache, muscle aches and a general sense of tiredness. Usually lasts one to two days. How it spreads: Found in the stool or vomit of infected people, the virus is contracted by eating and drinking contaminated foods and liquids, touching contaminated surfaces or objects and then placing hands in mouth, or having direct contact with an infected person. Prevention: Frequent hand-washing, especially after toilet visits and changing diapers and before eating or preparing food. Carefully wash fruits and vegetables, and steam oysters before eating them. Thoroughly clean and disinfect To remove the virus code that has attached itself to a legitimate file. Sometimes, the antivirus program cannot untangle the code, and the infected file has to be deleted. See quarantine. contaminated surfaces immediately after an episode of illness by using a bleach-based household cleaner. Treatment: None. - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |
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