May 24, 2012
KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. (WVLT) - An outbreak at a Knox County Elementary School has been identified as Norovirus.
Now, health workers are anxious to get the word out about what you should do if you or someone in your family has symptoms.
Ritta Elementary reopened today after closing Friday when 113 students were absent and many more went home sick.
Knox County sent four specimens to the State Department of Health lab, and two of those specimens tested positive for Norovirus. Health officials say after closing the school on Friday and cleaning it with bleach and other disinfectants, it's safe for your kids to return. But they warn everyone should be vigilant when dealing with this virus.
Washing your hands is the first and most important step in preventing an outbreak of the Norovirus, according to Dr. Martha Buchanan with the Knox County Health Department. Dr. Buchanan says the illness that struck Ritta Elementary school last week is preventable but causes plenty of misery.
"Everybody had vomiting. Some people had diarhhea. Some people had fever, so we knew we had a gastrointestinal disease outbreak," she said.
Norovirus has been associated with cruise ships but can strike anywhere because it lives everywhere.
"Doorknobs, rails, chairs, desks, you name it. Hard surfaces people can contact. It only takes 10 organisms to make you sick."
Norovirus is also fast-moving. For example there are 518 students enrolled at Ritta. On Wednesday only 16 students were absent. On Thursday that number jumped to 113; today 76 students didn't come to school.
Dr. Buchanan says if Norovirus strikes your home, heed this advice.
"If you have diarrhea illness, you need to stay home about 48 hours after the diarrhea stops because you can keep shedding the virus or bacteria and make other people sick." Buchanan says this means being confined at home and not going to the gym or shopping - no matter how much better you may feel.
And remember, wash those hands for at least 20 seconds.
"Bacteria can hide anywhere. They're really small," Dr. Buchanan said.
If someone has contracted Norovirus, you can use bleach and other disinfectants to clean in your house to get rid of the virus.
Hand sanitizers are just as effective as soap and water, according to Buchanan, if your hands are not visibly dirty.
Norovirus is sometimes called stomach flu but it is not related to the traditional flu, which is a respiratory illness caused by a different group of virus. So, the health department advises to still get your flu shot.
Since this is a holiday week, school officials tell us they're not sure if the 76 students who didn't come to school today are ill or just on an early Thanksgiving.
