Abstract
An increase in gastroenteritis outbreaks due to Norovirus has been reported worldwide. We investigated a large-scale outbreak affecting 246 residents and 33 staff members in six nursing homes in the Tel-Aviv district, Israel, during 3 weeks in 2002. Person-to-person spread was noticed in all nursing homes. The spread of disease could not be attributed to social interactions. Among the elderly residents, the hospitalization rate was 10.2% and the case-fatality rate was 2.0%. Bacteriological cultures were negative. Overall, 7 out of 15 stool specimens were positive for Norovirus by RT-PCR. All were sequenced and found to be 90% identical. The characteristics of this outbreak and the RT-PCR results suggest that illness was caused by Norovirus. Due to the high case-fatality rate of Norovirus gastroenteritis, there should be a high index of suspicion when encountering a gastroenteritis outbreak among the elderly. This will enable prompt action to stop the spread of illness.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 35-40 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Epidemiology and Infection |
| Volume | 133 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Feb 2005 |
UN SDGs
This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
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