Norovirus & Hepatitis A outbreaks in the News

In The UK

BBC News - Norovirus outbreak at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital
People have been asked not to visit relatives and friends at the hospital in Gloucester after several wards were affected by the infectious illness (norovirus).
Maternity wards are not affected by the restrictions and children's wards are restricted to parents and carers.

In the US

Possible Norovirus outbreak in Sylvania
The health department is investigating the causative agent of the outbreak of the elementary students. The children are dealing with a 24-hour stomach flu, similar to the Norovirus.

Frozen oyster recall after norovirus case
Asian food distributor Korean Farm is voluntarily recalling certain Assi brand frozen oysters from Korea after the Food and Drug Administration says they were linked to a norovirus outbreak that sickened three people in Washington state.

Hepatitis infectivity becomes the major issue of concern
As per reports, recently the Lyneham High School students became the chief media spotlight, as the school authorities declared that the kids were at a high risk of suffering from the deadly hepatitis A.

Budget cuts have public health agencies slashing staff
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 48 million Americans get sick each year from eating tainted food. About 128,000 are hospitalized; some 3,000 die.

New Board member at STOP foodborne Illness
“The tragedy of a foodborne illness is often magnified by the ease with which it could have been prevented,” said Pritzker, founder and president of PritzkerOlsen P.A., one of the nation’s leading food safety law firms. “At STOP Foodborne Illness, prevention is the focus. I’m honored to be joining them and look forward to contributing to the good work they do.”

In Thailand

Disease outbreak in Flood-hit areas
Dr. Wongwat Liulak, an epidemiologist with Bangkok’s health department, says people are starting to run out of food and water. He says the diseases that would be of the most concern would be diseases of the digestive system, such as acute diarrhea and food poisoning.

In Indonesia

Hepatitis A Scare in Depok
An official from the state vocational school, Turmi, said that the school authority decided to send the students home after learning that 90 students suffered symptoms associated with hepatitis A.

80% of Jakarta adults with Hepatitis A
We did research on Jakarta's adult residents and about 80 percent of them had contracted the virus,' Unggul Budihusodo, a health consultant from the Medical School of the University of Indonesia, said Thursday.

In Belgium

Hele school ingeënt tegen hepatitis A
Alle leerlingen van basisschool de Grebbe in Bergen op Zoom zijn donderdag ingeënt tegen hepatitis A. Het gaat om honderdtachtig leerlingen.

500 leerlingen SJB Zonhoven ingeënt tegen Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A is een vorm van geelzucht waarbij de lever aangetast wordt. Het is de meest onschuldige vorm van de ziekte. De belangrijkste symptomen zijn vermoeidheid, spierpijn, misselijkheid en braken.

In Czec Republic

Mass food poisoning at Karviná coal mine
The Karviná black coal mine is investigating a case of mass food poisoning which has now affected over three hundred miners.

In India

School kids prone to foodborne disease
According to a study of UK Institute of Food Research and University of Manchester, children are vulnerable to food-borne diseases. It means that few bacteria, especially food-borne or waterborne organisms, increase the severity of the disease. This increases their chance of contracting the disease. According to research, elderly people and pregnant women and patients who have suppressed immunity are vulnerable to food-borne infections.