U.S. bases likely avoided worst of norovirus in U.K.

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U.S. bases likely avoided worst of norovirus in U.K.
By Sean Kimmons, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Tuesday, January 8, 2008

RAF LAKENHEATH, England — U.S. military communities might have dodged the latest outbreak of norovirus that has plagued the United Kingdom and left many with bouts of diarrhea and vomiting.

The RAF Lakenheath hospital — the largest military facility in the region — reported an average number of cases of the highly contagious virus over the past two weeks. The base did not release the number of cases by deadline.

“We have not experienced anything out of the norm,” Lt. Col. Steven Hinten, the base’s public health flight commander, said Monday. “There were a couple of spots in December that we saw a rise in numbers, but it was not an issue to be concerned .”

Norovirus, also known as winter vomiting virus, is a group of illnesses that commonly cause stomach flu, or gastroenteritis. Symptoms last about a day or two and include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and some stomach cramping.

Infected people also may have a slight fever, chills, headache and muscle aches, according to the British Health Protection Agency. The agency estimates that noroviruses sicken between 600,000 and 1 million people in the U.K. each year.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=51469