Norovirus sweeps through Portland nursing home, almost gone ...

An employee in a Southwest Portland retirement community got sick with norovirus a week ago.

Within days, the highly contagious virus spread, infecting nearly 40 people. But on Tuesday, a week later, only two residents were sick.

"We immediately went into action because it spreads so quickly," said Pat Holahan, executive director of Regency Park Assisted Living Center. "We did everything that we had to do."

That included keeping residents in their rooms, sanitizing surfaces with a bleach solution, having staff wear gloves and masks and asking family members to stay away.

"It's best to leave everybody in place," Holahan said. The facility at 8300 S.W. Barnes Road has about 130 residents.

There's no treatment for norovirus. The only remedy is to stay hydrated, as? comfortable as possible and wait.

The bug is passed directly among people or indirectly through food, water or surfaces. Though rarely fatal, it does pose a risk to elderly people and those with compromised immune systems.

With winter over, norovirus outbreaks are expected to wane. The outbreak at Regency is now the only one in the tri-county area, said Dr. Paul Lewis, deputy health officer for Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington county.

-- Lynne Terry

Source: http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2013/04/norovirus_sweeps_through_portl.html

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