LAKE COUNTY — Norovirus. The word conjures a nasty association with viral strains akin to West Nile and others, particularly if seen in a front-page headline. And for some, its effect can be as devastating.
Recent outbreaks in Sonoma County have drawn media attention, and understandably so. One report attributed four deaths in 2006 to the norovirus outbreaks, and reported more than 1,000 nursing home patients afflicted.
Although the virus affects everyone, said Sonoma County Deputy Public Health Officer Dr. Leigh Hall, the way in which it is transmitted and its effect on the already diseased puts nursing home residents particularly at risk.
Common symptoms of norovirus are vomiting or nausea, diarrhea, stomach cramps, dehydration in some cases, and it may or may not be accompanied by fever, according to county and state health officials. Symptoms show up between one and two days after infection and may last between one and three days.
Hall concurred with the Centers for Disease Control and the California Department of Health Services: norovirus is what is commonly referred to as “stomach flu.” (The CDC notes in its Web content that the term “flu”refers to a respiratory illness caused by the influenza virus, which is not related to norovirus.)
It is actually a family of viruses, explained Hall, and only one of a few organisms that can cause similar symptoms.
“(Norovirus) is one of the less dangerous ones,” said Hall. “It”s only dangerous to people who have underlying disease.”
According to the CDC, norovirus causes viral gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach and intestines. Its passage via the stool and vomit of an infected person lends itself to outbreaks in settings where toilets, sinks and other such personal hygiene facilities are shared.
The DHS”s Division of Communicable Disease Control cautions that day care centers and nursing homes are particularly vulnerable to norovirus outbreaks.
Hall confirmed that the four Sonoma County deaths resulted in part from the norovirus outbreaks in the area. Each victim was elderly, suffering from an underlying disease, and in long-term nursing care, noted Hall.
Hall explained that vomiting and dehydration resulting from diarrhea may contribute to a fatality by making it impossible for a person reliant on medication for diabetes or a heart condition for example to keep that medication down, or to retain resources needed to stave off the already existing disease.
No cases have been reported in Lake County, according to Jane MacLean, director of public health nursing in the county”s Health Services Department.
“There”s no danger to the general public from norovirus,” said MacLean after consulting with Dr. Craig McMillan, a health officer with the division of public health in the county”s Department of Public Health Services. “People in generally good health are resistant,” she said.
MacLean noted that anyone suffering nausea or vomiting, stomach cramps, diarrhea or fever should contact a doctor. “In public health, our main mission is prevention,” she said. “The main tool of prevention is hand washing.”
Local skilled nursing centers also reported no cases of norovirus. Administrator Steve Hendrickson of Evergreen Lakeport Healthcare Center in Lakeport said in his observation, the breakouts seen in Sonoma, Marin and Bay Area counties seem to lessen the further north one goes.
Hendrickson said Evergreen gets a packet from DHS every year before flu season with precautions and procedures to follow. The packet arrived in October of 2006, and contained approximately nine pages pertaining to norovirus. It was the second year the packet contained information about norovirus, he said.
MacLean said Lake County handles treatment and prevention on a case-by-case basis. The Public Health Division attends health fairs in order to educate the public about prevention and resources, but has not made other preparations in the event that norovirus should hit Lake County as hard as it has others. Referring to Lake County”s absence of reported cases in 2006, she said, “we”ve been lucky.”
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
