“There are multiple epidemics…..there’s not a whole lot people can do about it.”-Gary Simon, George Washington School of Medicine

“Norovirus is one of the most infectious things on the planet.”-Chris Belcher, Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at St. Vincent

Weeks after I first reported that this year’s norovirus (aka Norwalk virus) is a new deadly strain (Sydney 2012 hybird of the Genotype II.4 strain), the main streamers continue to report it as if it were new(s) to them.

Also, despite some media reports that people don’t usually die from norovirus, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says for an average year about 800 people in the United States do in fact die from the vomiting bug.  The CDC also said it’s too soon to tell how the new Sydney 2012 bug will affect the United States.

To make matters more difficult in reporting norovirus cases to the public, health officials are not required to track nor report cases/outbreaks of norovirus!

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environment Control is warning that the norovirus season will continue until March.

In San Diego County, California, health officials say the new strain is hitting locals hard: “About two-thirds of [gastrointestinal cases] what we’re seeing is the new Sydney strain.”-Eric McDonald, county deputy public health officer

However, McDonald also said that so far the number of cases is about average.  San Diego County has reported 27 outbreaks, and 628 confirmed cases, since last summer.

Indiana health officials also sounding a warning. The virus can survive outside a host for up to 72 hours. People who’re sick need to be isolated: “If they can stay in bed, if they can possibly use a separate bathroom, that can help the virus from being transmitted, because it is very contagious.”-Pamela Pontones, epidemiologist for the State of Indiana.

In Japan, nursing homes conintue to get hit with norovirus, and people are dying.  At least three people died between 01 January and 16 January 2013.  In December 2012, at least four people died in hospitals.

It was recently revealed that back in December 76 people became sick after eating at a buffet in the Tokyo Prince Hotel.   Also, 35 people became sick after eat meals from lunch boxes from the Ningyocho Imahan Foods Plant.  Norovirus was traced to the food factory, and it was shut down for three days of intensive cleaning.

New Zealand health officials are reporting a death caused by norovirus.  They say the Sydney 2012 strain is responsible for 17 outbreaks so far, and at least one death in a nursing home.

Ironically, the noro/Norwalk virus has ended a Native American Chief’s hunger strike in Canada. Attawapiskat Chief, Theresa Spence, was protesting the Canadian government’s continued oppression of the First Nation.  But after six weeks of not eating solid foods, she became sick with the vomiting bug.  This is interesting because supposedly all she was eating was fish broth and tea.

The vomiting bug seems to be hitting Native Americans hard, the National Chief of the First Nations, Shawn Atleo, was also ill.  He recently announced he was getting better and preparing to resume the fight against the oppressive Canadian government.

On the island of Nanaimo, in Canada’s British Columbia, hospital staff are reporting an increase in Norwalk virus cases.  It’s also hitting other areas of the province. However, health officials there don’t seem to be concerned, so far no signs of the deadly Sydney 2012 strain.   They’re still telling people to take care by isolating sick family members and cleaning everything with bleach.

Canadians returning from vacation in Cuba, and who are sick, are not being counted by government health officials. Already this year a group of seven Canadians returned from Cuba sick with symptoms of Norwalk, but because the illness was not confirmed with lab tests, the outbreak did not make official counts. Even the airlines and travel agency said officially no body got sick because no body reported it to them.  An Ontario newspaper, The Windsor Star, reported that the same thing happened last year.

Despite what many health officials say about the time period before someone is better, and supposedly no longer contagious, a new report says otherwise: “Just because someone doesn’t have active illness does not mean they can’t pass the virus along to others. Studies show that people still excrete the virus’s genetic material up to six weeks after they became infected, which probably means they can transmit it to others.”-Scientific American

More good news for us carnivores: Another report, by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) says that almost half of all deaths caused by food illnesses, are from contaminated veggies!   Not only that, but that overall illnesses from “non-animal” foods are on the increase, while diseases from food of animal origin (FoAO) are declining!  Take that you wanna-be rabbits!

Check my previous postings about norovirus.