Originally published on Mon January 28, 2013 10:18 am
By Scott Hensley
Credit Charles D. Humphrey / CDC
It's here. A variant of norovirus first spotted in Australia is now sweeping the U.S.
The wily virus causes stomach upset, vomiting and diarrhea. The sickness is sometimes referred to as the stomach flu, though influenza has nothing to do with it.
State public health authorities have confirmed that the norovirus – also known as the bug that causes wintertime vomiting disease – sickened more than 200 attendees of a cheerleading and dance event in Everett.
Don’t be surprised if you notice a few co-workers are out sick, or if a stomach bug seems to be hitting your family. Winter is peak time for sharing germs – and right now, at least, most of those are NOT the flu bug.
For Lisa Steinbrueck of Seattle, it seemed at first like food poisoning:
A virus outbreak has closed the Seattle Yacht Club's mainstation clubhouse on Portage Bay. Dozens of people who attended the JO Ball and a private party at the end of February became ill with gastrointestinal symptoms. Yacht Club General Manager Steve Hall says the club contacted the King County Health Department, sanitized the kitchen area, and closed the facility until March 12.
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