GULFPORT, Mississippi (AP) — The illness sickening residents at the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Gulfport has been identified as norovirus.
Media outlets report that since Monday, 62 residents have become ill and nine have been hospitalized. Affected residents reported symptoms including nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
Testing by the Mississippi Department of Health has confirmed that norovirus is the illness.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, norovirus can be contracted through consuming contaminated food or liquids, touching surfaces or objects contaminated with the virus and then putting fingers in one’s mouth, or having contact with an infected person. Norovirus can spread quickly in closed places like nursing homes, day care centers and cruise ships.
The AFRH says it continues to enact precautionary measures, like posted notices about the importance of hand washing and sanitation.
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