Noroviruses in NRW?

50 children in camp sick

08/18/2013

In Sundern, Sauerland, around 50 out of 80 children in a summer camp suffer from diarrhea and vomiting. The cause is still unknown, a suspected Norovirus has not yet been confirmed.

Tests for norovirus negative
Around 50 out of 80 children suffer from diarrhea and vomiting in a holiday camp in Sundern, Sauerland. The cause of the mass illness remained unknown so far. According to Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), the first rapid tests for norovirus disease were negative. The first official lab results are expected early next week. It is now increasingly looking for other causes. Just last week, the disease of around 40 children had made headlines with a norovirus in Schwäbisch Hall. Noroviruses are distributed worldwide and easily transferable. Typical symptoms include nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain and fatigue.

Holiday camp canceled prematurely
In Sundern, probably many of the boys and girls between the ages of seven and eleven had been infected since Saturday night. There were some massive health problems such as circulatory problems. Of those affected, about 25 were able to travel home by bus. The holiday camp was prematurely terminated and with the help of 200 rescue workers and 60 emergency vehicles, the patients were taken to hospitals and taken care of. To clarify the cause of the disease, health department and food monitoring of the district have been turned on, the media reports.

Hall not usable for the time being
The children from the Tecklenburg region had taken holidays in a shooting hall with a group of Christian Workers Youth from Recke in the district of Steinfurt. On Saturday it should have gone home after a week's stay and another group was announced for a visit. The Schützenhalle was not usable for the time being, as it was called from the Hochsauerlandkreis in Meschede. Due to the hygienic situation a decontamination place was set up locally. It was pointed out that none of the affected persons had any mortal danger. (Ad)

Also read about Norovirus:
Norovirus: 43 children in the clinic
Wave of infection due to new Norovirus variant

Picture credits: Marc Tollas