Thread: Vomiting disease afflicts dozens who went to golf clubs

This is very suspicious. I wonder if they will report the findings once the investigation finds the real source.

Vomiting disease afflicts dozens who went to golf clubs
Associated Press
Mar. 12, 2007 07:55 AM

TUCSON - At least 60 people in Tucson have been infected with a suspected outbreak of a virus known as the "winter vomiting disease," according to the Pima County Health Department.

Officials say the outbreak started in late February at the Oro Valley Country Club, which began a three-day shutdown on Saturday after club officials continued to get scattered reports that members were coming down with the sickness.

The illness apparently emerged during the country club's Oro Valley Ladies Invitational, which ended on Feb. 27, health department officials said. About 120 women participated, including about 60 who were not club members.


Ann Rogers, the golf tournament's chairwoman, said she first received a call from two people complaining of virus symptoms on Feb. 28.

"They said they had a stomachache in the middle of the night and started throwing up," Rogers said.

After calling more people who had been at the tournament, Rogers said there were enough people affected to call the health department.

Because of the symptoms and how fast the disease has been transmitted, officials with the Arizona Department of Health Services believe the cause is a norovirus, agency spokeswoman Patti Woodcock said. That has not yet been confirmed.

Noroviruses can cause stomach-related distress such as sudden-onset vomiting, diarrhea and severe abdominal cramps.

Woodcock said norovirus outbreaks occur regularly and that the county department has investigated five other incidents during the past few months. However, she said this is the first time the disease appears to have spread from one place to another in Pima County.

"It is now progressing," she said. "People are passing it and passing it and passing it. It appears that the problem wasn't recognized quickly enough by staff to stem the spread of the infection. People who played at the country club went and played at other country clubs."

Woodcock said a food handler at the Oro Valley Country Club who worked while ill is believed to be the first to transmit the illness. She said the virus has spread to two other golf clubs, but declined to release their names, citing the ongoing investigation.

Jeff Sindelar, general manager of the Oro Valley Country Club, said club officials don't know of any employee who worked while sick.

Woodcock said no one has been hospitalized and that a healthy person exposed to the virus usually recovers within two days.

She said the virus can be dangerous to the elderly or other medically vulnerable people.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... 12-ON.html

Noroviruses are very common and these very severe strains started hitting cruise ships a few years back and now have spread through schools and other communal areas.

This is not an affliction that is screened for by immigration services. Nor is it an affliction that is specific to the 3rd world areas illegal aliens herald from.

Anyone can accidentally end up being the Typhoid Mary of a Noroviruse outbreak.

I do think there are some new strains going round in the last few years, but there is no evidence of this kind of illness being related to illegal immigration.

Many of the other food related outbreaks of E-Coli and Hepatitis do show ties to the illegal immigration issue.

W

Understood. I think as soon as I see "food handler" and "names withheld" I automatically think of "illegal alien". Trigger words I suppose.

Noroviruses are the number one cause of food born illness per CDC.

Unwashed hands and a fecal oral transfer. Could be a catering company or employees that work at multi facilities like temps or day labor. Also, could be a common thing like someone reached into a roll basket on a buffet, with their bare hands.

Dixie