1 week Ago
APTOS — A highly contagious gastrointestinal virus has been spreading in South Santa Cruz County and has caused at least one school to temporarily close as health authorities urge the public to practice good hygiene to help curb the spread. A spokesperson for the county Health Services Agency told the Sentinel that, as of Friday, 213 cases of norovirus had been reported countywide since mid October. That’s an increase of 25 cases since Wednesday.
A county analysis of local wastewater data, which helps to pinpoint where the spread is most acute, revealed elevated levels of the nasty stomach bug in the Watsonville area, while the Santa Cruz vicinity remained low. No hospitalizations or deaths related to the outbreak had been reported, according to county health. “Because norovirus is very contagious, there is potential for greater community spread,” Santa Cruz County Health Officer Lisa Hernandez said in an emailed statement.
“To stop the spread, it is important to wash your hands for at least 20 seconds, especially after using the bathroom or before preparing and serving food. Also, stay home if you are sick with norovirus.” In a public health alert issued Nov.
7, county health reported that 93 cases since Nov. 5 had been discovered at a local school. In a letter, also sent Nov.
7, to Pajaro Valley Unified School District parents, Superintendent Heather Contreras announced that Valencia Elementary School would close that Friday out of an abundance of caution due to the virus rapidly spreading among students. District spokesperson Alicia Jimenez told the Sentinel that the school reopened Tuesday, after the weekend and Veterans Day holiday. The county’s health alert also mentioned that 33 cases of the illness were discovered at a workplace setting in late October as well.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , the United States experiences about 2,500 norovirus outbreaks every year, with occurrences most common in November and April. Common symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and stomach pain, and the high viral loads present in the stool and vomit make for easy transmission from one individual to another. Most spread occurs through touching the mouth after contact with a contaminated surface, according to the county’s advisory, but it can also happen through skin-to-skin contact or inhaling airborne particles after an infected person vomits.
“If your child has any of these symptoms, do not send them to school until 48 hours after symptoms have ended,” Contreras wrote in her letter to parents. “Even if they just have an upset stomach, please keep them home while they are feeling ill, as it is possible that they may vomit while at school.” Symptoms typically last one to three days, according to county health, and infected individuals are highly contagious during the first 48 hours, though they still may be capable of infecting others as many as two weeks after symptom resolution.
In addition to handwashing, the CDC recommends washing laundry well, handling and preparing food safely, as well as cleaning and disinfecting surfaces after someone vomits or has diarrhea. To disinfect an area , a chlorine bleach is recommended with a concentration of 1,000 to 5,000 parts per million, or five to 25 tablespoons of household bleach per gallon of water. The Environmental Protection Agency also has a list of registered disinfecting products on its website at epa.
gov ..
