Norowalk Virus
Student journalists went to the Canadian University Press conference expecting to learn some new journalism techniques. What they weren’t expecting was less than comfortable education on the Norovirus. Aleisha Bosch has more on the story.
“Yes, I spoke with Amy MacKenzie, a student journalist at the conference and one of about 150 people who got sick with the Norovirus. She told us about her experience.”
“When you’re that sick, I could barely lift my phone let alone get off the floor. I have bruises on my legs from collapsing on the bathroom floor. It was like, you had no energy and it was the worst feeling in the world.”
Norovirus is a stomach bug that causes vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pain for one to two days.
It is highly contagious and spreads quickly, especially through close communities like schools, hospitals, and in this case, conferences.
Over 300 people from across the country were at the Canadian University Press conference in Victoria, British Columbia.
About half of them became sick, and 11 people were taken to hospital to be treated for dehydration.
“I wasn’t sure if I was feeling sick or if it was just paranoia because everyone around us was sick and we were all in this one room and we didn’t want to leave the room. But then one by one people started feeling sick.”
The virus is usually spread through improperly prepared food.
One of the best ways to prevent it is through frequent hand washing with soap and water.
Hilary Smith was involved in the planning of the conference and helped take care of people who were sick.
“We were all given hand sanitzer, and face masks, and gloves, and we were going door to door offering people Gatorade and crackers and Tylenol and Gravol for some that, we y’know needed to quell their nausea.”
Those who were able to tweeted from the confines of their hotel rooms, and conference organizers used the popular social media site to pass on information about the outbreak.
People at the conference have returned home. For STU Journalism, I’m Aleisha Bosch.