XPost: ba.politics, dc.media, soc.penpals   
   XPost: alt.burningman   
   From: maroons@barackobama.com   
      
   Norovirus, the USA's leading cause of foodborne illness, has   
   become known as the "cruise ship virus" for causing mass   
   outbreaks of food poisoning – and misery – on the high seas. Yet   
   only about 1% of all reported norovirus outbreaks occur on   
   cruise ships.   
      
   It might be more accurate to call it the "salad bar virus," and   
   not because customers are sneezing on the croutons.   
      
   But food handlers, such as cooks and waiters, cause about 70% of   
   norovirus outbreaks related to contaminated food, mostly through   
   touching "ready to eat" foods – such as sandwiches or raw fruit   
   – with their bare hands, according to a new report from Centers   
   for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 90% of   
   contamination occurred during food preparation, and 75% of food   
   involved in outbreaks was consumed raw.   
      
   Business practices in the food industry may contribute to the   
   problem.   
      
   One in five restaurant workers admits having reported to work   
   while sick with diarrhea and vomiting – the two main symptoms of   
   norovirus – within the past year, the CDC says.   
      
   About 20 million Americans are sickened with norovirus every   
   year, with a total of 48 million suffering food poisoning from   
   all causes. The highly contagious family of viruses also causes   
   up to 1.9 million doctor visits; 400,000 emergency room visits;   
   up to 71,000 hospitalizations; and up to 800 deaths, mostly in   
   young children or the elderly. Infections cost the country $777   
   million in health care costs.   
      
   Norovirus is wildly contagious.   
      
   As few as 18 viral particles can make people sick. In other   
   words, a speck of viruses small enough to fit on the head of pin   
   is potent enough to infect more than 1,000 people, according to   
   the CDC report, released Tuesday. The virus can spread rapidly   
   in close quarters, as well, such as dormitories, military   
   barracks and nursing homes.   
      
   "Norovirus is one tough bug," said CDC director Thomas Frieden.   
      
   Norovirus can make people violently ill so quickly that they   
   don't have time to reach a bathroom, says Doug Powell, a food   
   safety expert in Brisbane, Australia, and author of   
   barfblog.com. People who get sick in public often expose many   
   others. Norovirus also can live on surfaces, such as countertops   
   and serving utensils, for up to two weeks.   
      
   Norovirus is also the Terminator of germs -- very tough to kill.   
   Alcohol-based hand sanitizers don't work very well, says Lee-Ann   
   Jaykus, a professor of food science at North Carolina State   
   University. That makes frequent handwashing important.   
      
   But even cooking may not kill noroviruses, which can survive the   
   freezer and cooking temperatures above 140 degrees, the CDC says.   
      
   The CDC recommends that restaurants offer paid sick leave and   
   require food workers to stay home when sick, remaining out of   
   work for at least 48 hours after symptoms cease. Restaurants   
   should train their staffs well and have on-call workers who can   
   fill in for sick co-workers. Lastly, restaurants should require   
   food handlers to use disposable gloves and wash their hands   
   frequently.   
      
   That may be easier said than done, says Powell, who notes that   
   few restaurant workers today get paid sick leave. Many earn   
   minimum wage and can't afford to miss work. Others fear being   
   fired if they call in sick.   
      
   Some restaurants are doing more than others, Jaykus says. "The   
   large retailers are well-aware (of norovirus) and working very   
   hard," Jaykus says. "Smaller restaurants have, of course, fewer   
   resources."   
      
   The only good news about norovirus?   
      
   Scientists are working on a vaccine, although it's in early   
   stage.   
      
   And norovirus is less serious than other foodborne bacteria,   
   such as salmonella, E. coli and listeria, all of which have led   
   to recalls of fresh and frozen produce in recent years, Powell   
   says. Although norovirus can sicken people for two to three   
   days, it's not usually fatal.   
      
   "You just feel like you're dying," Powell says.   
      
   http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/06/03/norovirus-   
   most-common-foodborne-illness/9894565/   
      
       
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)