Gyeonggi-do Health and Environment Research Institute "Beware of Norovirus in Daycare Centers and Schools"

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] The Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment recently analyzed cases of 'norovirus' mass food poisoning that occurred in Gyeonggi-do over the past four years and found that infection cases were concentrated in the winter months of November to January. They urged caution in vulnerable places such as daycare centers and schools.

The Institute analyzed 140 cases out of 230 suspected mass food poisoning cases reported from January 2018 to June 2021, where norovirus was detected in two or more people.

By year, there were 41 cases in 2018, 46 in 2019, 11 in 2020, and 45 in 2021 (as of the end of October). Although there was a sharp decline in the first half of last year due to the impact of COVID-19, cases have been increasing again since the end of last year.

By month, cases were mainly concentrated in the colder winter months: 15 cases (15.3%) in December, 14 cases (14.3%) in November, 12 cases (12.2%) in March, and 10 cases (10.2%) in January.

The locations of occurrence were daycare centers with 57 cases (40.7%), schools with 52 cases (37.1%), kindergartens with 16 cases (11.4%), and restaurants with 5 cases (3.6%), in that order.

While schools showed a decreasing trend with 24 cases in 2018, 22 in 2019, 1 in 2020, and 5 in the first half of 2021, daycare centers saw a significant increase with 8 cases in 2018, 16 in 2019, 5 in 2020, and 28 in the first half of 2021.

Norovirus infection causes symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea within 1 to 2 days. Large-scale outbreaks can occur due to contaminated food ingredients and groundwater, as well as frequent secondary infections through contact with patients and contaminated environments in places like daycare centers and schools.

In particular, norovirus can cause infection with a small amount of virus, so places like daycare centers where infants and young children spend a lot of time together in the same space require more meticulous attention to infection control.

Oh Jo-gyo, director of the Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment, explained, "Winter norovirus infections can be greatly reduced by simple practices such as washing hands thoroughly and eating well-cooked food," adding, "Childcare teachers and workers at daycare centers must provide more thorough hygiene and a safe environment."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.