As many as 200 people have gotten sick in a norovirus outbreak at a downtown Seattle office building, health officials reported Monday.

As Many As 200 Sickened In Seattle Tower Norovirus Outbreak

Norovirus is highly contagious and causes nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Donna Gordon Blankinship

12/08/2015 05:18 pm ET

ASSOCIATED PRESS

 

SEATTLE (AP) -- As many as 200 people have gotten sick in a norovirus outbreak at a downtown Seattle office building, health officials reported Monday.

Illness at the Russell Investments Center grew exponentially after a catered event in the building, but several cases were reported before the event last Tuesday, according to Public Health-Seattle & King County, which is still investigating the outbreak that began last week.

Between 175 and 200 cases have been reported to the health department either independently or through a survey of people who went to the catered event in the building.

"We anticipate that number is probably low," said Dr. Meagan Kay, medical epidemiologist for communicable diseases with the Seattle and King County Public Health Department.

Two people spent one night in a hospital because of norovirus, and another eight people were treated in emergency rooms during the past week.

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Home-delivered meals reduce feelings of loneliness among seniors

 

Written by Catharine Paddock PhD

Published: Tuesday 8 December 2015 at 3am PST

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Homebound seniors who have home-delivered meals report significantly less loneliness than those who do not, according to a study published in Journals of Gerontology, Series B.

 

 

 

There was a significant reduction in self-reported feelings of loneliness among homebound seniors who had home-delivered meals, compared with those who did not.
Image credit: Michael Cohea/Brown University

 

The pressure to cut costs brings with it the possibility of overlooking the less tangible benefits when seeking alternative models in the provision of a public service.

Nutrition service providers are no exception, and the new study - conducted as a randomized, controlled trial - shows that home-delivered meals do more than nourish physical well-being; they also have a positive emotional effect in the lives of older people who are stuck at home.

It appears that the regular knock on the door, with the opportunity to exchange some friendly words with the person delivering the meal, goes a long way to reducing feelings of loneliness in older people in need.

Lead author Kali Thomas, assistant professor (research) of health services, policy and practice at Brown University School of Public Health in Providence, RI, says:
"This continues to build the body of evidence that home-delivered meals provide more than nutrition and food security."

Prof. Thomas, a former volunteer for Meals on Wheels, believes the study is one of only a few that has rigorously examined the long-presumed psychological benefits of home-delivered meal service. It is certainly the first randomized, controlled trial to measure the effect on loneliness, she notes.

Many participants socially isolated

The trial participants were 626 older adults from eight American cities who were on waiting lists to receive Meals on Wheels. They were randomly assigned to three groups.

In one group, the participants received a daily fresh meal, in another they received a weekly delivery of frozen meals, and in the third group they remained on the waiting list - this was the control group.
The trial ran for 15 weeks. All participants were interviewed at the start and end of the period.

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Outbreak at Wild Chef Steakhouse in Ottawa County, Michigan

Food Poisoning Bulletin

April 4, 2014 by Linda Larsen

The Ottawa County Department of Public Health is investigating a gastrointestinal illness outbreak associated with the Wild Chef Japanese Steakhouse Grill and Bar in Holland Township, Michigan, according to WWMT.com. The restaurant closed voluntarily on Tuesday, April 1, 2014 after a number of customers reported becoming ill.

More than 100 cases are associated with the restaurant. Public health officials are investigating, and waiting for lab results to pinpoint what is causing the illness and if a particular food is responsible. Symptoms reported included nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, and fever.

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Royal Caribbean ship the Explorer of the Seas outbreak was caused by norovirus, one of the worst outbreaks in 20 years, the CDC. While second cruise ship returns home early.

Cruise virus outbreak one of worst in 20 years, CDC says

Maggie Fox NBC News

John Makely / NBC News

The Explorer of the Seas outbreak was caused by norovirus, one of the worst outbreaks in 20 years, the CDC said.The Explorer of the Seas cruise ship returns to port after hundreds of passengers became ill.

Federal health officials confirmed on Friday that norovirus was the culprit that sickened nearly 700 people on a cruise ship this week, and said it was one of the biggest norovirus outbreaks in 20 years.
But the source of the outbreak on the Royal Caribbean ship Explorer of the Seas, which returned early to New Jersey on Wednesday, may never be known, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
"CDC has been investigating the outbreak since last Sunday but no particular source has been identified and it’s quite possible a source won’t be identified," the CDC said in a statement.
The report comes after passengers streamed off the Caribbean Princess Friday morning, the second cruise cut short this week amid reports of illness on board.
The ship, operated by Princess Cruises, returned to Houston a day early with a confirmed outbreak of norovirus. "The ship was forced to return to Houston one day early because we were informed that dense fog was expected to close the port for much of the weekend," the company said in a statement.
"The ship did not return early because of the increased incidence of norovirus on board, despite some media reports."
At least 178 people on board became ill during the cruise, according to the cruise line and the CDC. Sick patients were quarantined to their rooms, and other passengers said they no longer had access to buffet tongs as crew members handed out hand sanitizer.

Toby Melville / Reuters / REUTERS

A man passes the Caribbean Princess cruise ship, which reported an outbreak of norovirus on board.

CDC health officials met the Caribbean Princess at the Bayport Cruise Terminal in Pasadena, Texas. The vessel launched on a seven-day cruise to the western Caribbean on Jan. 25 and had been scheduled to return on Saturday.

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