Virus sickens 200 in Yellowstone and Grand Teton

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(Reuters) - Two of America's premier national parks, Yellowstone and Grand Teton, warned visitors on Wednesday about a gastrointestinal illness that has sickened at least 200 people at the start of the summer tourist season.

The rare health advisory, tied to a suspected outbreak of the highly contagious norovirus, comes in the early weeks of a season that drew about 6 million people to the parks last year.

The warning advises visitors to the parks in northwestern Wyoming to wash their hands to stem the spread of the virus, which causes a flu-like ailment whose symptoms include stomach pain and vomiting, park officials said.

They have required businesses such as restaurants and lodging facilities to increase cleaning and disinfection of all public areas and have asked potentially infected park workers to isolate themselves until they have been symptom-free for at least 72 hours.

[pinesman]

Shenandoah has an alert up for the same basic thing.
Shenandoah alert.

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Soap and water will go a long way, if not ya better hope your TP does..!!

[paulsang]

Us out West wrote:

bigmurf wrote:
When people have the runs or puke do they always run to the ranger and report it?

Probably not so the count is probably a lot higher than the 200+ stated.

Some estimates are that it is 50% higher that reported.

[paulsang]

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!!

[Us_out_West]

bigmurf wrote:
When people have the runs or puke do they always run to the ranger and report it?

Probably not so the count is probably a lot higher than the 200+ stated.

[bigmurf]

When people have the runs or puke do they always run to the ranger and report it?

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http://health.yahoo.net/news/s/nm/virus-sickens-200-at-yellowstone-grand-teton-parks

The link as I saw it today

[beckid]

We were there for 2 weeks and every one of us (6 including little ones) got bronchitis while there. No flu-like symptoms but we all were coughing horribly. One of my girls went to the Dr. at jackson lake Lodge and it cost her $300 for the visit and a z-pack. Ugh... I'm thankful it wasn't the barfy stuff - at least we still had fun.

[skipnchar]

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.