Personal Injury Law

'Stomach flu' virus affects area nursing home

By Marler Clark LLP

Health officials believe that a nursing home in Washington, North Carolina has been struck by a Norovirus outbreak. The Norovirus is highly contagious and usually persists for 24 to 60 hours.  Full Story from the Washington Daily Press

About 15 to 20 residents at Ridgewood Manor have experienced the symptoms over the course of about a week, according to different estimates from the nursing home and the Beaufort County Health Department.

The virus, which includes symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea, has also affected “seven or eight” nursing home employees, according to Health Director Roxanne Holloman. The bug seems to last about 24 hours in each patient it affects, said Ridgewood administrator Lisa Hartley.

The illness is believed to be caused by some form of the Norovirus, which is a generic term given to viruses that affect gastrointestinal functions. The virus surfaced at Ridgewood last week, Hartley said. The health department was called in Friday to assess the situation.

Full post as published by Norovirus Blog on May 22, 2007 (boomark / email).