This virus is the easiest to "put down" students! Shenzhen's risk rating for the coming week is "high"

Source: Reading Special

Norovirus loves to "put down" students, the reporter learned from the Shenzhen Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention on the 25th that kindergartens, primary and secondary schools and other collective units are high incidence of norovirus infectious diarrhea cluster epidemic, and the epidemic strain type is GII.2, which is consistent with previous years and no obvious mutations have been found. In the coming week, the risk level of norovirus infectious diarrhea is "high", and the Shenzhen Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention reminds the public to take precautions to prevent its occurrence and spread.

Feng Tiejian, deputy director of the Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that the recent epidemic monitoring results of the CDC show that from September 1 to November 22, 2020, Shenzhen reported a total of 10 clusters of norovirus infectious diarrhea, of which 5 were 20 cases and above, higher than the same period in previous years. In October 2020, the norovirus surveillance results of the municipal sentinel hospital showed that 9 norovirus were positive, and the detection rate reached 33.3%, which was significantly higher than the previous three quarters.

From October to March of the following year, it is the high incidence period of norovirus in Shenzhen.

Norovirus is a common enterovirus. Within 48 hours of infection, symptoms of acute gastroenteritis such as vomiting, diarrhea, and fever will occur. Vomiting is the main cause in children, and diarrhea is mostly in adults.

Norovirus transmission routes include: transmission through food and water, close contact transmission, aerosol transmission from vomiting. It is highly contagious and can easily cause outbreaks in collective places such as kindergartens, schools, and nursing homes.

Dehydration is the leading cause of death from norovirus infection. There is no specific drug for norovirus, and there is no vaccine to prevent it. However, norovirus infection is self-limiting and usually recovers in 2 to 3 days. It should be reminded that frequent vomiting or diarrhea, a very small number of patients will develop severe illness or even death due to dehydration, so we still have to be vigilant.

Therefore, young children and the weak should be rehydrated in time to correct water, electrolyte disorders and acid-base imbalance. If symptoms of dehydration (mainly oliguria, dry mouth, dry throat, dizziness when standing, young children present with a sunken anterior fontanelle and eye socket, crying without tears, abnormal drowsiness or irritability), should be immediately referred to the doctor.

After cluster vomiting or diarrhea in collective units such as schools, childcare institutions, nursing homes and factories and enterprises, parents and the public often mistake food poisoning for food poisoning because some cases are accompanied by elevated white blood cells, resulting in unnecessary panic. The CDC reminds everyone that norovirus infection mainly occurs in winter and spring and is contagious, while food poisoning is often in the summer and is not contagious, and if in doubt, it is recommended to consult or pay attention to the investigation results of the CDC in time.

Maintaining good hand hygiene is the most effective measure to prevent norovirus infection. Norovirus is a hydrophilic virus, and 75% alcohol cannot kill it. Therefore, wiping your hands with quick-drying hand sanitizer or alcohol wipes cannot prevent Noru, and the most effective way is to wash your hands with running water and hand sanitizer.

In addition, it is also necessary to pay attention to the hygiene of diet and drinking water, eat raw melons and fruits to be washed, oysters and other shellfish seafood must be fully heated and cooked before eating, do not drink raw water, beware of disease from the mouth. Maintain the environment of the living room and the environment, and ventilate frequently.

After infection, you need to isolate yourself at home to prevent infecting others. Parents are requested to cooperate with the child to isolate at home, and classes can only resume 3 days after the symptoms disappear. Patients engaged in the dietary industry or those with latent infections need to have two consecutive fecal or swabs of norovirus nucleic acid test negative before they can go to work.

During the isolation and rest period at home, try not to eat with your family, use independent tableware, towels and other daily necessities, and disinfect them in time after use. Homes, especially washrooms, should be cleaned and well ventilated.

Improper handling of vomit can easily lead to infection. Feng Tiejian, deputy director of the Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that when disinfecting treatment, attention should be paid to wearing masks and gloves to do a good job of personal protection. The disposable rag is completely soaked in a chlorine-containing disinfectant with a concentration of at least 10,000 mg/L, the rag is removed to completely cover the vomit, and then the contaminants are carefully removed to a garbage bag/special trash can containing the prepared disinfectant (effective chlorine content is not less than 10,000 mg/L) and soaked for 30 minutes, and then can be disposed of. Mops, rags and other tools used in cleaning, containers containing contaminants must be soaked in a solution containing effective chlorine 10,000mg/L disinfectant for 30 minutes and then thoroughly rinsed before being used again.

During the high incidence season, all kindergartens, primary and secondary schools should strengthen the health education of infectious diseases, improve handwashing facilities, and reserve antiseptic materials such as emergency disposal kits for vomiting pollutants. Once children and students are found to have symptoms such as clustered nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, they should promptly report to the CDC of the jurisdiction and investigate and deal with the epidemic situation under the guidance of professionals.

Edited by Xu Shundian

(Author: Reading Special Reporter Luo Liqiong Correspondent Deep Disease Control)