|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Several residents in the assisted living section of Palo Alto’s Classic Residence by Hyatt were placed in isolation over the weekend following a suspected outbreak of norovirus, family members said.
A county public health nurse was to visit the facility today (Monday) to review precautions against spread of the illness, which causes diarrhea, vomiting, possible low-grade fever and headache.
Hyatt managers contacted the Santa Clara County Department of Public Health about the outbreak on Friday, the health department said, adding that six individuals in a portion of the Hyatt were believed to be affected.
Besides isolating those who are sick, measures in place include particular attention to hand-washing and disinfection of common surfaces such as countertops and door handles, health department spokeswoman Joy Alexiou said.
“We get norovirus throughout the year — I’d say at least monthly if not even more than once a month — in schools, summer camps, cafeterias in schools and workplaces.
“It typically happens where a large number of people are served food,” Alexiou said, noting that the virus is spread through oral-fecal contact involving microscopic, and sometimes airborne, particles.
A particular concern associated with norovirus is dehydration, she said, especially when the patient is already ill, very young or elderly.
Hyatt Classic officials were not immediately available for comment Monday.
Last June, a similar outbreak closed major portions of the Hyatt, including the dining room, swimming pool and gym, for nine days.
Two norovirus outbreaks in six months at the Classic Hyatt makes you think the premium prices paid by residents there may not be buying the effective health strategies their fragile population needs.
It’s just really hard to kill norovirus. Alcohol hand sanitizer actually doesn’t work well against it – it is one of the few viruses hand sanitizer doesn’t work well against and an “enhanced” version (specifically, “Food Code compliant”) of hand sanitizer is needed to kill it…this version is not the same as the ones you buy in the stores. Considering that even high-end cruise ships have a hard time handling this type of outbreak, it isn’t surprising at all that it can affect a independent living facility like this one.
They should get some Pure products from San Diego-totally safe to humans and yet kills the virus immediately and keeps killing any future introduction of the germs for 48 hours