skipnchar wrote:
WOW, have they traced the source yet? Probably one popular eating establishment with really bad hygene habits. I ASSUME the virus is associated with HUMAN feces as I've never heard of animals being the source.
I understand your thinking, but NOROVIRUS is highly transferable. ONE Person could infect a public restroon vomiting as NOROVIRUS transmission is person-to-person, and also tranferable via aerosolization. A person that has gone through the symptoms can still shed the virus by a simple cough. If they cough into their hands, and touch a doorknob, or handrail, the virus is being spread.
Restaurants are highly susceptable, but many food-service infections actually start with the customer base, and work its way in, and work its way back out to the customers. This can go on for days before anyone is showing symptoms.
Alcohol rubs are less effective than handwashing. To sanitize surfaces, bleach is the prefered method. The norovirus can survive for long periods outside a human host depending on the surface and temperature conditions: 12 hours on hard surfaces, and up to 12 days on contaminated fabrics, and it can survive for months, maybe even years in contaminated still water.
Scary stuff....wash your hands!!
