BREVARD --  Transylvania Public Health Released the following information on their official website Friday August 3, 2018.

Transylvania Public Health has received confirmatory laboratory tests from the N.C. State Laboratory of Public Health. Of those people who were tested by their medical providers, a majority were positive for norovirus. We believe this outbreak was caused by being exposed to this highly-contagious virus in a public place.

Although more information is continuing to come in, Transylvania Public Health has received more than 70 cases of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea reported by medical providers, as well as phone calls reporting similar symptoms in more than 200 people since Tuesday, July 31.

Norovirus typically causes diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and stomach pain that lasts for 1 to 3 days. Other symptoms can include fever, headache and body aches. These symptoms and length of illness match closely with the symptoms being reported by those who are ill.

People get norovirus from direct contact with an infected person, consuming food or water that has been contaminated with norovirus or touching contaminated surfaces and then putting your unwashed hands in your mouth. It only takes a few virus particles to make someone sick, and those who are ill shed billions of these particles. People are most contagious when they are having symptoms like vomiting and for the first few days after recovering, although they can spread norovirus for two weeks or more after they feel better.

Norovirus symptoms usually appear 24-48 hours after being exposed to the virus. Many (but not all) of the people who reported symptoms to us recalled visiting a local restaurant 1-2 days before becoming ill. Other people reported having close contact with someone who had norovirus symptoms prior to becoming ill.

We do not believe that this outbreak is connected to the multi-state recall of salads due to cyclosporasis contamination.

Norovirus Information CDC website:

Transmission

Norovirus spreads very easily. You can get norovirus by accidentally getting tiny particles of poop or vomit from an infected person in your mouth. This can happen if you

eat food or drink liquids that are contaminated with norovirus,
touch surfaces or objects contaminated with norovirus then put your fingers in your mouth, or
have direct contact with someone who is infected with norovirus, such as by caring for them or sharing food or eating utensils with them.
If you get norovirus illness, you can shed billions of norovirus particles that you can’t see without a microscope. Only a few norovirus particles can make other people sick. You are most contagious

when you have symptoms of norovirus illness, especially vomiting, and
during the first few days after you recover from norovirus illness.
However, studies have shown that you can still spread norovirus for two weeks or more after you feel better.

Norovirus and Food

Norovirus is the leading cause of illness and outbreaks from contaminated food in the United States. Most of these outbreaks occur in food service settings like restaurants. Infected food workers are frequently the source of outbreaks, often by touching ready-to-eat foods, such as raw fruits and vegetables, with their bare hands before serving them. However, any food served raw or handled after being cooked can become contaminated with norovirus.

Learn more
How food can get contaminated with norovirus
Norovirus can easily contaminate food and water because it only takes a very small amount of virus particles to make you sick. Food and water can get contaminated with norovirus in many ways, including when:

An infected person touches food with their bare hands that have poop or vomit particles on them
Food is placed on a counter or surface that has poop or vomit particles on it
Tiny drops of vomit from an infected person spray through the air and land on the food
The food is grown or harvested with contaminated water, such as oysters harvested from contaminated water, or fruit and vegetables irrigated with contaminated water in the field
How water can get contaminated with norovirus
Recreational or drinking water can get contaminated with norovirus and make you sick or contaminate your food. This can happen:

At the source such as when a septic tank leaks into a well
When an infected person vomits or poops in the water
When water isn’t treated properly, such as not enough chlorine
For more information on healthy water and how water can get contaminated, visit www.cdc.gov/healthywater/.

Image shows how you get norovirus from people or surfaces by touching your mouth after providing care to an infected person, shaking hands with an infected person, changing diapers, or touching contaminated surfaces. Then you become ill with norovirus.
View larger image

How surfaces can get contaminated with norovirus
Surfaces can get contaminated with norovirus in many ways, including when:

An infected person touches the surface with their bare hands that have poop or vomit particles on them
An infected person vomits or has diarrhea that splatters onto surfaces
Food, water, or objects that are contaminated with norovirus are placed on surfaces.