During the afternoon of Monday, September 21, public health officials confirmed that some of the individuals with a gastrointestinal illness at North Canton Elementary School had a Norovirus infection. According to the Centers for Disease Control, Norovirus can be transmitted by touching an infected person, eating contaminated food (water) or by touching contaminated surfaces. The virus causes the stomach and/or intestines to become inflamed. This leads to nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Anyone can be infected with norovirus and get sick. People can have norovirus illness many times in in their life. Norovirus is the most common cause of acute gastroenteritis in the US. Each year, it causes about 20 million illnesses.
“The Haywood County Health and Human Services Agency has been working closely with North Canton Elementary and the Haywood County Schools’ administrative staff on this situation” said Patrick Johnson, R.N. “Our goal is to stop the spread of the illness. Spread of infection can be decreased significantly by simple precautions.” The precautions recommended by public health officials include:
- Wash your hands with soap and water. The best way to prevent the spread of a gastrointestinal illness is to wash your hands frequently with soap and water, 20 seconds or more each time. Unfortunately, hand gels and foams do not work as well. Please make sure to always wash your hands after using the restroom and before and after meals.
- Clean and disinfect all contaminated surfaces. Use a disinfectant with chlorine bleach at a concentration of 1/3 cup of household bleach per gallon of water. Please remember to wipe down common surfaces such as cell phones, TV controllers, doorknobs, and light switches.
- Immediately remove and wash thoroughly any clothing or linens contaminated by an ill person. Wash laundry items with detergent on the longest cycle and machine dry them.
- If you have symptoms, we ask that you please remain home until 48 hours after the symptoms have subsided. This is to prevent further transmission of the illness.
Carmine Rocco, Haywood County Public Health Director said, “We are working to assist and support North Canton. We will have public health staff at the school today to answer any questions from staff or parents.”
“We are pleased with the school’s work and support from public health officials,” said Bill Nolte associate superintendent. “The number of people with GI symptoms is trending in a good direction. We are monitoring attendance at our other schools and the overall absentee rate still looks pretty normal.”
Nolte went on to say, “Since our public health partners have confirmed some cases of norovirus, we want to encourage everyone in the community to be extra diligent in hand washing and cleaning surfaces. We are told that a simple bleach solution is very effective in home and business settings.”
Contact: Dr. Bill Nolte, Associate Superintendent