February 06, 2020 Health officials investigating norovirus outbreak in Lake Charles

- The Louisiana Office of Public Health is investigating an outbreak of norovirus in the Lake Charles area that appears to be spreading in the Calcasieu and Vernon Parishes.

The CDC and state health officials say norovirus is a highly contagious type of gastrointestinal illness, or stomach virus, that is spread easily from person to person. Illness caused by norovirus is often mistakenly called “stomach flu.” However, norovirus is not related to influenza.

People of all ages can become ill from norovirus as it is easily spread in several ways, including:

“People with norovirus can easily spread the illness from the moment they begin experiencing symptoms to several days after they recover,” said Dr. Frank Welch, immunization director for the Louisiana Department of Health. “Some people can continue to spread norovirus for up to three weeks. There are no medications to prevent norovirus, which is why frequent handwashing is your best protection.” 

Symptoms, which typically begin 24 to 48 hours after being infected and usually last one to two days, include:

Take the following steps to prevent spreading the illness:

If you have recently become ill with diarrhea and/or vomiting, please complete this brief online survey to aid in the investigation. More information on norovirus can be found here, and detailed cleaning instructions can be found here. If you have any questions or require assistance, please call Infectious Disease Epidemiology at 1800-256-2748.

Surgeon General Ralph L. Abraham, M.D.

Interim Secretary Drew Maranto

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