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By The Associated Press - 12/23/2006 BILLINGS (AP) — Health officers are investigating outbreaks of norovirus at nursing homes here and in Laurel, officials said Thursday.
About 100 residents and staff at the St. John’s Lutheran Ministries nursing home in Billings and 20 more at Evergreen Health and Rehabilitation Center in Laurel have been sick with the virus during the past week. Restrictions on visiting and activities are in place at both nursing homes to try to contain the virus. ‘‘This is the time of year when we traditionally see norovirus,’’ said Dr. Doug Moore, chief of public health for the Yellowstone City-County Health Department, which is investigating the outbreaks. ‘‘People are indoors more. There’s more close contact.’’ Norovirus, also called Norwalk virus, is characterized by the sudden onset of vomiting and diarrhea. Symptoms typically last 24 hours and can lead to severe dehydration and, in rare cases, death. The highly contagious illness is passed through contact with contaminated surfaces, including people’s hands, and tends to appear in densely populated areas such as nursing homes, cruise ships and large hotels. Evergreen and St. John’s are the latest in a series of Billings long-term care centers to be struck by norovirus. In September, almost 30 people were sickened at Sweetwater Retirement Community, and several were hospitalized. And last spring, Highgate Senior Living, Valley Health Care and Rehabilitation and Aspen Meadows Retirement Community had confirmed cases of norovirus during a community-wide outbreak.
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