Lessons learned from an elementary school norovirus outbreak

The Journal of School Nursing : the Official Publication of the National Association of School Nurses
Eileen Button Gomez

Abstract

Outbreaks of norovirus have been on the increase. The virus often spreads quickly through schools and similar institutions. The school nurse may be able to minimize the impact of a school norovirus outbreak by providing accurate information about the disease, the scope of the local situation, and instruction on infection control measures. This article describes a norovirus outbreak experienced by an elementary school in which 41% of students were afflicted. The experience of the school nurse managing the outbreak is examined, and recommendations are offered for use by other school nurses facing similar outbreaks to reduce the spread and impact of the virus. Often the very measures that school personnel instinctively employ, such as the increased use of hand sanitizers and systematic use of disinfecting agents that are actually ineffective against norovirus, can have the opposite of the intended effect and inadvertently further the spread of the disease.

References

Jul 10, 2001·Journal of Applied Microbiology·J BarkerS F Bloomfield
Jun 28, 2002·Journal of Exposure Analysis and Environmental Epidemiology·Nicolle S TulveJacqueline Moya
Aug 17, 2005·Child: Care, Health and Development·C McMasterN Raymond
Jan 16, 2007·Applied and Environmental Microbiology·Stephanie A Boone, Charles P Gerba

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Citations

May 3, 2013·Administration and Policy in Mental Health·Wendy M ReinkeKimberly David
Jan 1, 2012·Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation : the Official Journal of the Association for Educational and Psychological Consultants·Charles R Greenwood, Joung Min Kim

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