Norovirus outbreak affecting several Zane Trace prom attendees

CHILLICOTHE – Test results are expected Friday in connection with a possible outbreak of a foodborne illness that health officials say affected several students who attended Saturday's Zane Trace High School prom.

According to Ross County Health District spokesman Rami Yoakum, calls began coming into the health district Monday from parents reporting sick children. Thus far, 22 illnesses are believed to be part of the same outbreak, 18 of whom are Zane Trace students.

The calls involved students who had attended the Zane Trace prom and activities after the prom. Nurses from the Health District have interviewed several students and parents and been working with school nurses since the calls began coming in, and the health district does not believe the illness was contracted at the prom itself.

Kathy Wakefield, director of Public Health Nursing at the health district, said officials believe a norovirus is the culprit.

"Those who are sick are experiencing the classic symptoms of a norovirus, such as vomiting, diarrhea, headache, fever and abdominal cramps," she said. "And the symptoms are quite profuse."

Noroviruses are the most common cause of foodborne outbreaks in the United States, causing between 19 million and 21 million illnesses each year. The virus can be severe – particularly for young children and older adults – and can lead to hospitalizations and, in very rare instances, death.

"There's always a chance of dehydration when you have diarrhea and vomiting," Wakefield said. "The norovirus is very contagious and it can spread to others before a person has symptoms. So the kids are not only taking it into their school, but they're also taking it home to their families."

The health district has been working with the school, advising officials to clean school surfaces, and has also sent letters home to parents describing symptoms and asking them to keep sick children at home and away from sporting events.

Specimens were collected and sent to the state lab in Reynoldsburg. If the results in each case come back all looking similar, the Health District will likely be able to trace back to the source of the contamination, Yoakum said. Presently, health officials feel they have a good idea where the illness may have originated, but don't want to publicly speculate until until the results from the tests come back and they are sure.

Yoakum said the results from the lab could come back at any time. The health district has spoken with the business that provided the food suspected to be related to the outbreak and a sanitarian was sent to the business to perform an inspection.

"We didn't find any problems with the facility or the food preparation methods," Yoakum said. "However, the possibility remains that a food service worker was the initial source of the suspected norovirus."

Yoakum said the lab was able to confirm Thursday that it was not E. coli that caused the illnesses. He also said not all of those who became ill ate from the same food source -- for instance, something that would have been served on the same tray.

There is no specific treatment for the norovirus, but it is important that anyone who is experiencing vomiting or diarrhea drink plenty of water or half-cut sports drinks. Caffeinated drinks and alcohol are strongly discouraged.

Symptoms of dehydration include a decrease in urine, dry mouth and throat, and dizziness. Babies who are experiencing dehydration may cry without producing tears and be excessively sleepy or fussy.

For more information on noroviruses, visit the health district's website at www.rosscountyhealth.com.