Public health officials are investigating a possible norovirus breakout at a resort in northern OH that could have afflicted several attendees of the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Meals, electrolyte-replacement drinks and Gatorade were delivered to the rooms of the sick people, who were released from quarantine once they had been symptom-free for 24 hours.
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The symptoms – stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, fever and diarrhea – are generally short-lived but can be risky, and even fatal, especially among the elderly and the very young.
Norovirus is spread by infected individuals, contaminated food or water, or by touching contaminated surfaces, and causes the stomach, intestines, or both to get inflamed.
Cynthia Bryant, executive director of the state GOP, wrote in an email early Tuesday that officials are taking the necessary steps to care for the health of their staff and the more than 550 members of the delegation and their guests.
Sounds pleasant. Since norovirus is extremely contagious, health officials are testing other Republican staff members to see if they’ve contracted the virus, since another thing an event like this needs is a public health issue like this one!
But the California delegation has already taken one precaution: hand sanitizer. He added, however, that some delegates and alternates are staying at two other locations in the area. It affects about 19 million to 21 million people in the United States each year, causing between 570 to 800 related deaths, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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The virus spreads via the so-called “fecal-oral” route, and California delegates were warned that if they began to suffer any symptoms, they should stop shaking hands or sharing food.
