Norovirus Sends Hundreds To Hospitals In Boston Area

February 3, 2012 8:15 PM

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BOSTON (CBS) – It’s been a rough cold and flu season so far and now hospitals are being flooded with patients suffering a severe stomach bug.

In the MetroWest area, hundreds have visited emergency rooms over the past few weeks.

Doctors say the norovirus, a highly contagious stomach flu is to blame.

Health officials say once it starts, it’s very difficult to contain.

WBZ-TV’s Ken MacLeod reports

To avoid transmission at Marlborough Hospital, employees frequently scrub down door handles and other surfaces.

Doctors say the best defense is to wash your hands on a regular basis. Hand sanitizer does not typically defend against the norovirus.

Allison S.

The reason the norovirus spreads unchecked is because most food-prep workers have zero paid sick days and the rest of the workforce has insufficient paid sick time. So people come to work ill and transmit their afflictions … needlessly. Legislation has been proposed in MA to put an end to this nonsense by enacting paid sick time. Check out http://www.mass.gov/legis/bills/senate/185/st01/st01073.htm, among other online sites, and call Rep. Kahn or Sen. Jehlen’s office to voice your support. It is plain BACKWARD to tolerate this situation, which recurs every single winterm, as though it were unpreventable, when it isn’t.
http://travel2boston.us/boston-news-headlines-and-stories-forfeb-04-2012/ boston News Headlines and Stories for Feb 04 2012 : Travel tips, hotels, restaurants, jobs and news | Travel 2 Boston

[...] Indianapolis for a weekend of Super Bowl fun. Many of them headed out from Logan airport on Friday.Norovirus Sends Hundreds To Hospitals In Boston AreaIt’s been a rough cold and flu season so far and now hospitals are being flooded with patients [...]
Brittany

I agree with you Allison. People feel they need to live to work when in realty you should work to live. Your health should come before anything especially work. if your sick STAY HOME.
Italo

Agree with both. This virus hit my family this past week, to varying degrees — either way, like a tsunami, and it doesn’t stop. Pretty frightening stuff. Besides Gatorade, a great rehydrating drink to have on hand is Smart Water, which goes down smooth and has electrolytes. A version of this is also causing sudden, pounding head colds with convulsive sneezing that could power wind turbines! Get well and take care, everybody! ;-o
Jack deJack

Plants crave electrolytes.
http://didntitellyouthat.com/2012/02/27/norovirus-1-kate-0/ Norovirus- 1; Kate- 0 «

[...] thing. Have you seen this? 100′s of people sent to the hospital in Boston?! Why didn’t anyone post this on [...]