SPRINGIFIELD, Mo. -- A new strain of the norovirus is sweeping through the United States and impacting residents in the Ozarks. It's called the Sydney strain of norovirus. It is most commonly spread in closed places.
This strain has been dubbed the Ferrari of viruses for the speed at which it's passed through a large group of people. Administrators at The Gardens retirement homes are not taking any chances. One way this strain of norovirus spreads is through food, so they are taking every precaution.
Adam Blair runs a tight ship in his kitchen at The Gardens. He is by the book when it comes to food preparation.
"Latex gloves are great. We use a lot of hand sanitizer. Keep our counters clean and make sure we wipe everything down," said Blair.
It is the recipe for the Sydney strain of norovirus:not washing your hands before handling food and not washing produce --- especially leafy greens.
"It usually comes out pretty dirty. We like to wash everything thoroughly, tomatoes as well," said Blair.
Norovirus is highly contagious. It is often mistaken for the stomach flu.
"The common symptoms are stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea," said Mike Brothers, a spokesman for the Springfield-Greene County Health Department.
The CDC says the new strain accounts for 60 percent of norovirus outbreaks in the United States.
"We haven't seen any activity outbreak level here. But, it's safe to say that the norovirus is here," Blair said.
The Gardens takes viruses seriously.
"Once it starts, it is very difficult to make sure that everybody is protected against it," said Curt Ballard, marketing director with The Gardens.
Starting in October, staff and residents get a flu shot. If someone does get sick, the entire community is notified.
"So many of them have breathing issues. We want to catch it as early as we can," said Ballard.
To make sure others do not catch what is going around, the sick resident stays in their room until they are better.
"We will fix their meals and take it to their rooms for them. We have a lot of soup on hand," said Ballard.
Health officials say the best way to protect yourself against this new strain of the norovirus is to wash your hands with soap and water. The CDC says alcohol-based hand sanitizers can be used in addition to hand washing. But, they should not be used as a substitute for washing with soap and water.
For those infected, there is really no medicine to kill it. You have to ride it out for the day or two of severe symptoms and guard against dehydration.
The CDC estimates each year, noroviruses cause 21 million illnesses and 800 deaths.
CDC report
