[BOS] On the alleged Norovirus outbreak

[bkdelong]

So there appears to be an outbreak of Norovirus going around - from at least two parties in the Boston area this past weekend. Given there's another large one this weekend, I wanted to post this. I wish you the best and hope those of you ill heal well. If you have read about someone on your Friends List who has a confirmed diagnosis and got ill yourself, please read the CDC FAQ and educate yourself:

• This is a foodborn illness.
• People with norovirus are contagious from the moment they begin feeling ill to at least 3 days [past when symptoms subside]
• Norovirus can spread rapidly in closed environments like daycare centers [and indoor parties].
• Contamination vectors include: Eating food or drinking liquids that have been contaminated, touching contaminated surfaces or objects then touching your mouth, and having direct contact with an infected person through caring for, sharing utensils, food or drink with them.
• Prevention: Wash hands with soap and water while potentially supplementing (not replacing) with a hand sanitizer that contains at least 62% ethanol solution, washing all fruits & vegatables and not letting anyone who shows symptoms prepare food for others until at least 3 days after better, clean all household surfaces with bleach-based cleaner or one made with 5-25 tablespoons of household bleach per 1gal of water and immediately launder any clothes that could have infected biological material on them at the maximum length washer cycle with detergent while machine-drying them.

If you have gotten a diagnosis or were confirmed at the same location as someone who was and got ill yourself, perhaps submit an anonymous report to HealthMap (a joint project by Harvard, BU, MIT and other researchers funded in part by Google) and PLEASE encourage others to do the same.

They also have an iPhone and Android app. Be sure to state in your note whether you had a CONFIRMED diagnosis by a doctor or whether you got sick with a gastro-intestinal "bug" and were at a party with someone who received a confirmed diagnosis. We don't want to skew the statistics here with the telephone game.

This is apparently spreading around Eastern MA but I'm not seeing the vectors. If someone at work, or you know someone with a child who may have been ill..it might be worth mentioning to those folks what's going on.

Take the above-mentioned precautions, be sure you've recovered for at least 3 days prior to attending any public events, and most of all - get better, feel better and be well.

For those of you attending parties, simply follow the precautions and you should be fine.