Clipping Board » Disease & Prevention ─ Understanding diseases, prevention is better than cure.
China Times 2008.01.13
Yan Jiyu / Comprehensive Foreign News Report on the 12th
The UK has recently been hit with a series of public health alerts. In addition to an increase in influenza cases, the Norovirus (also known as the Norwalk virus) has been spreading rapidly, with nearly 3 million people falling ill within three months, and an unprecedented outbreak of 200,000 new cases in a single week. Hospitals across the country are overcrowded, and healthcare workers are overwhelmed. Public health experts have pointed out that it is still uncertain whether the peak of the epidemic has passed.
The Norovirus primarily affects children and the elderly, causing acute gastroenteritis with symptoms including vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and respiratory symptoms. Patients typically require hospitalization for 2 to 3 days. The Norovirus is more prevalent in winter and is more virulent than other gastrointestinal viruses or bacteria; as few as 100 virus particles can cause symptoms. The virus is present in the feces and vomit of patients, making it easy for contacts to become infected. A small number of patients remain contagious for up to two weeks after recovery. On average, one million people in the UK are infected with the Norovirus each year.
Currently, three large hospitals in the UK are overwhelmed and unable to accommodate new cases. Some primary schools in severely affected areas have sent out letters to parents urging them to be particularly vigilant for symptoms and to keep children at home immediately if they are found to be infected, and to wait an additional two days after recovery before returning to school. Other schools have installed alcohol-based hand sanitizers in public areas, reminding students to maintain personal hygiene at all times to reduce the risk of infection.
Pharmacies have also reported a surge in sales of gastrointestinal antidiarrheal medications, with sales nearly 1.5 times higher than usual. Public health experts are now deeply concerned, fearing that the epidemic will peak again next Monday when students and workers return to schools and workplaces. The next six weeks are considered a critical period for vigilance, and epidemic prevention efforts must not be relaxed. Experts remind the public to wash hands frequently, avoid contact with infected individuals, seek medical attention promptly if infected, and to stay well-hydrated.
Source: http:/ / news. chinatimes. com/ 2……0504+112008011300340,00. html
Norovirus Hits UK, Nearly 3 Million Elderly and Children Affected
Yan Jiyu / Comprehensive Foreign News Report on the 12th
The UK has recently been hit with a series of public health alerts. In addition to an increase in influenza cases, the Norovirus (also known as the Norwalk virus) has been spreading rapidly, with nearly 3 million people falling ill within three months, and an unprecedented outbreak of 200,000 new cases in a single week. Hospitals across the country are overcrowded, and healthcare workers are overwhelmed. Public health experts have pointed out that it is still uncertain whether the peak of the epidemic has passed.
The Norovirus primarily affects children and the elderly, causing acute gastroenteritis with symptoms including vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and respiratory symptoms. Patients typically require hospitalization for 2 to 3 days. The Norovirus is more prevalent in winter and is more virulent than other gastrointestinal viruses or bacteria; as few as 100 virus particles can cause symptoms. The virus is present in the feces and vomit of patients, making it easy for contacts to become infected. A small number of patients remain contagious for up to two weeks after recovery. On average, one million people in the UK are infected with the Norovirus each year.
Currently, three large hospitals in the UK are overwhelmed and unable to accommodate new cases. Some primary schools in severely affected areas have sent out letters to parents urging them to be particularly vigilant for symptoms and to keep children at home immediately if they are found to be infected, and to wait an additional two days after recovery before returning to school. Other schools have installed alcohol-based hand sanitizers in public areas, reminding students to maintain personal hygiene at all times to reduce the risk of infection.
Pharmacies have also reported a surge in sales of gastrointestinal antidiarrheal medications, with sales nearly 1.5 times higher than usual. Public health experts are now deeply concerned, fearing that the epidemic will peak again next Monday when students and workers return to schools and workplaces. The next six weeks are considered a critical period for vigilance, and epidemic prevention efforts must not be relaxed. Experts remind the public to wash hands frequently, avoid contact with infected individuals, seek medical attention promptly if infected, and to stay well-hydrated.
Source: http:/ / news. chinatimes. com/ 2……0504+112008011300340,00. html