A reusable grocery bag was found to be the carrier of norovirus that was responsible for girls on an Oregon soccer team getting ill. Investigators conducted tests on the bag and found norovirus on the sides of the bag, below the handle.
Reusable grocery bags have increased in usage as people look try to become more ‘green’. It is important however, that these bags be recognized as a potential source of contamination. Much concern with reusable grocery bags is usually directed to the potential contamination from raw meats (purge from raw meats dripping onto the bags, carrying potential pathogens such as Salmonella or STEC E. coli along with it). Thus it is important to wash afterward. In this case however, a sick individual transferred norovirus to the bag and then the norovirus was transferred from the bag to other individuals who became ill.
Norovirus has a low infectious dose (it does not take a lot of viral particles to make one ill) and is relatively resistant to normal environmental conditions (it has been shown to survive for weeks on carpets, so it probably would be the same with grocery bags). Typical symptoms of norvirus infections are vomiting (acute onset) diarrhea and stomach cramps. Symptoms can occur within 18 to 48 hours of exposure.
Oregon norovirus traced to reusable grocery bagUSA Today 5/10/12
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-05-10/Oregon-norovirus-grocery-bags/54874814/1?csp=34news
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)–Oregon investigators have traced an outbreak of norovirus to a reusable grocery bag that members of a Beaverton girls' soccer team passed around when they shared cookies.
The soccer team of 13- and 14-year-olds traveled to Seattle for a weekend tournament in October 2010.
Showing posts with label reusable grocey bags. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reusable grocey bags. Show all posts
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