{"618916":{"#nid":"618916","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Cluster of Norovirus Cases Identified on Campus","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EStamps Health Services began to see patients experiencing gastrointestinal illness (infection affecting the stomach and\/or intestines) and symptoms of nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea beginning the week of February 8\u003Csup\u003Eth\u003C\/sup\u003E. Working with the Georgia Department of Public Health, samples were sent for testing and identified norovirus to be the cause of illness spreading on campus on March 6\u003Csup\u003Eth\u003C\/sup\u003E. Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that is commonly referred to as the \u0026ldquo;stomach bug\u0026rdquo; that causes your stomach and\/or intestines to get inflamed.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDining Services, Housing, and the Student Center began enhanced cleaning procedures in late February when norovirus was suspected to help prevent additional spread on campus. Stamps Health Services has already seen a decline in patients presenting with symptoms. However, norovirus can continue to circulate on college campuses for weeks to months if proper steps are not taken to prevent spread.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPreventing the spread of norovirus at Georgia Tech is everyone\u0026rsquo;s responsibility\u003C\/strong\u003E. Proper hand hygiene, in addition to maintaining good personal hygiene, is essential for preventing the spread of norovirus. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water especially after using the toilet and always before eating, preparing or handling food.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWe ask all Georgia Tech community members to follow these simple steps to help prevent spread of this illness and other easily-spread infections:\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EStay home if you are sick.\u003C\/strong\u003E Stay home until you are symptom-free for at least 48 hours. Symptoms typically last 12 to 36 hours.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWash hands thoroughly with soap and water for 20 seconds, whether you are sick or not.\u003C\/strong\u003E Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can be used in addition to hand washing, but they are not a substitute for washing with soap and water. Hand sanitizers do not work well against norovirus.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDo not share\u003C\/strong\u003E food, drinks, eating utensils, or drink containers.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDisinfect common surfaces with a bleach-based cleaning solution.\u003C\/strong\u003E Norovirus can live on hard surfaces, objects, and clothes and cause illness for days to weeks. Wash dirty laundry on longest wash cycle and machine dry.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIf you are sick, get plenty of rest and stay hydrated\u003C\/strong\u003E \u0026ndash; both water and sports drinks can help, avoid caffeine and alcohol.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EProperly wash and prepare food.\u003C\/strong\u003E Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly, throw out any food that might be contaminated with norovirus through being prepared or eaten by someone who is sick, and, if you are sick, do not prepare food for others until you have been symptom free for a week.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nIf you are currently experiencing symptoms and dehydration is a concern, contact Stamps Health Services for an appointment (404-894-1420).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFollow \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/stampshealthservices\/\u0022\u003EStamps Health Services on Facebook\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;future information related to this, if neccessary, and other contagious illnesses spreading on campus.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that is commonly referred to as the \u201cstomach bug.\u201d "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENorovirus is a highly contagious virus that is commonly referred to as the \u0026ldquo;stomach bug\u0026rdquo; that causes your stomach and\/or intestines to get inflamed.\u0026nbsp;Proper hand hygiene, in addition to maintaining good personal hygiene, is essential for preventing the spread of norovirus.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that is commonly referred to as the \u201cstomach bug.\u201d "}],"uid":"34604","created_gmt":"2019-03-06 21:53:50","changed_gmt":"2019-03-06 22:24:30","author":"Jessica Kolis","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-03-06T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2019-03-06T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"597926":{"id":"597926","type":"image","title":"Medical illustration of norovirus (source: CDC)","body":null,"created":"1509106479","gmt_created":"2017-10-27 12:14:39","changed":"1509106835","gmt_changed":"2017-10-27 12:20:35","alt":"","file":{"fid":"227945","name":"21349.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/21349.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/21349.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":529026,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/21349.jpg?itok=o-YKyHCh"}}},"media_ids":["597926"],"groups":[{"id":"111091","name":"Health Services"},{"id":"53745","name":"Campus Recreation Center (CRC)"},{"id":"428961","name":"Health and Well-Being"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"166906","name":"Stamps"},{"id":"12533","name":"health promotion"},{"id":"178819","name":"newsroom"},{"id":"10199","name":"Daily Digest"},{"id":"719","name":"CRC"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJessica Kolis\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nHealth and Wellbeing\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}