WEDNESDAY, Oct. 19 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that an outbreak of norovirus, the most common cause of acute gastroenteritis in the United States, occurred in evacuees seeking refuge shortly after Hurricane Katrina. Over 1,000 adults and children are estimated to have been affected, according to a report in the Oct. 14 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Between Sept. 2-12, about 6,500 evacuees visited a medical clinic at Reliant Park, a sports and convention center in Houston that served as a temporary shelter. Eighteen percent reported symptoms of acute gastroenteritis. The outbreak seems to have peaked on Sept. 5, when 211 persons reported symptoms of acute gastroenteritis, with the number of cases declining slowly after that. On peak days almost 21% of adults and 40% of children visiting the clinic reported symptoms.
"Conditions that might have facilitated virus transmission included crowding, insufficient sanitation in lavatories, lack of an adequate number of hand-washing facilities, and delays in cleaning and decontaminating soiled areas and bedding," according to the report.
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