A Clustering of Norovirus Enterogastritis Cases at a Certain Hospital in Yuanshan Township of Yilan County: Inspection Findings and Control Strategies

Ying-Shu Liao

2007 Vol.23 NO.9

Correspondence Author： Ying-Shu Liao

Abstract：

from Chinese version, pp,505-513
Over the past several years, the number of clustering of enterogastritis cases caused by norovirus has been on a steady rise in Taiwan [1-3]. In the meantime, the media also constantly report large-scale outbreaks of the same infection in many other countries. Because of this recent trend of increase, the development of appropriate disease control tactics to effectively fight against norovirus enterrgastritis has become an important public health challenge. Characteristically, only a low dosage of norovirus is required to cause infection in human, and the virus is highly stable, which makes it very contagious. Besides, this virus can spread through diverse transmitting routes and media, so it can easily cause outbreaks at institutional settings like hospitals, nursing homes and schools [4-5]. A certain hospital located in Yuanshan Township of Yilan County fell victim to this virus in November 2006 as a clustering of norovirus infection cases happened there. In this article, we summarize the findings of the epidemiological investigation team sent to the site after the outbreak was spotted and reported. In addition, key disease prevention strategies and infection control measures implemented during the outbreak are documented to serve as a reference for formulating effective control strategies in the future.
Key Words: Norovirus, vomit, diarrhoea, carer