• E-mail
• Print
• RSS

Simple tactics can help prevent Norovirus outbreaks among patients

Nurse Leader Weekly, September 25, 2006

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Nurse Leader Weekly!

Norwalk virus outbreaks on cruise ships have been widely reported over the past several years, but if you perform an Internet search on the subject, you'll find many other stories about Norwalk outbreaks at hospitals and nursing homes this year, all of which raise questions about whether incidence of the illness is on the rise.

Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) hasn't noted hard evidence revealing a spike in cases to date, the agency does say that awareness of the virus is increasing and that healthcare staff should be aware of the agency's recommendations for preventing and handling Norwalk outbreaks.

Akin to a strong stomach bug

Norwalk belongs to the norovirus group, a family of gastrointestinal organisms. It is a highly infectious illness that causes gastroenteritis and tends to appear where people gather and share meals or restrooms (e.g., cruise ships, hospitals, and schools).

Norwalk doesn't generally lead to death or severe complications in healthy people. The illness typically exhibits symptoms including diarrhea, vomiting, and sometimes a slight fever. On average, those symptoms last for up to two days, but the virus can still be transmitted to others for as long as 13 days after recovery.

Watch for patients in close quarters

Nursing homes and psychiatric hospitals are more vulnerable to norovirus outbreaks than other healthcare settings, says Richard Martinello, an infectious disease physician at the VA Medical Center and an assistant professor at Yale University, both in New Haven, CT.

Cleaning with quaternary ammonium preparations has no effect on noroviruses, Martinello says, adding that his facility uses bleach products in line with CDC recommendations. However, many hospitals are accustomed to using the ammonium products.

Martinello's facility hasn't seen a norovirus outbreak in the two years since it established new infection control (IC) policies. Steps that his hospital now takes to combat future cases of illness include the following:

• Norovirus patients are placed in private rooms under contact precautions
• Healthcare personnel wear gloves and gowns when treating norovirus patients

Healthcare workers can easily pick up norovirus if they aren't careful. When staff are out sick with norovirus, they should not return to work until 48 hours after symptoms disappear to avoid spreading it to patients and other staff, according to the CDC.

Editor's note: This excerpt was adapted from Briefings on Infection Control, October 2006, HCPro, Inc.

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Nurse Leader Weekly!

• E-mail to a Colleague
• Print
• RSS
• Archive