More than 30 Shiloh, Illinois Nursing Home Residents Become Afflicted with Flu-Like Virus
Over 30 Illinois nursing home patients from the Fountains III Independent and Assisted Living Center in Shiloh had to be transported to hospitals after they became afflicted with the a norovirus. The virus, which is easily transmittable and travels very fast, has been known to show up at US assisted living facilities.
The nursing home patients experienced vomiting, acute nausea, and diarrhea. According to BND.com, seven patients were taken to hospitals on Thursday and another 24 were treated at hospitals on Friday. A number of nursing home workers also became ill. A few of the patients stayed at the hospital so they could be observed further.
The Fountains III Independent and Assisted Living Center employs 30 workers and houses 63 nursing home patients. Following the outbreak of the norovirus, nursing home staff started cleaning and disinfecting the whole facility to make sure the virus is killed off. Patients who were afflicted will eat on paper products in their rooms and workers will have to wear masks and gloves when entering the bedrooms so that the virus doesn't spread further. Visitors will be notified about the virus.
Norovirus
In addition to diarrhea, frequent vomiting, and nausea, fever, chills, muscle aches, headaches, and tiredness are among the other symptoms of norovirus illness. Having norovirus can lead to the stomach flu, non-bacterial gastroenteritis, acute gastroenteritis, viral gastroenteritis, calicivirus infection, and food poisoning.
While most people with norovirus usually recover within a couple of days, special medical care may be required if dehydration results. Considering that the elderly and sick persons are among those at risk of suffering from dehydration-related norovirus complications, it is important that nursing homes make sure they take preventive action so that the virus doesn’t make its way into a facility. Otherwise, if a patients gets sick, the assisted living facility can be held liable for Illinois nursing home neglect.
Common ways that people get norovirus:
• Eating food contaminated with the virus
• Drinking contaminated liquids
• Directly touching someone who has norovirus
• Touching contaminated objects and surfaces and then putting their hands in the mouth
33 nursing home residents taken to hospitals; suffered nausea, vomiting, BND.com, March 26, 2010
Illness Hits 33 Patients At Illinois Nursing Home, Fox2now.com, March 26, 2010
Related Web Resource:
Illinois Department of Public Health
In Cook County, Lake County, Will County, and DuPage County, contact Chicago, Illinois nursing home lawyer Steve Malman.
