Norovirus Outbreak Among Schoolchildren Linked to Unwashed Hands

The results of the epidemiological investigation into the intestinal infection outbreak in the village of Onokhino were presented at a meeting of the region«s sanitary and anti-epidemic commission. Laboratory tests of 78 samples taken from students at the local school identified norovirus infection in 23 children. This highly contagious virus, according to official data, is transmitted, among other ways, through unwashed hands and violations of personal hygiene rules.

«This is a contagious virus that is transmitted from unwashed hands and other hygiene-related factors. Today, we are very clearly and strictly monitoring the sanitary condition of all institutions where our children study across the entire Tyumen region. This decision was made at the sanitary and epidemiological commission,» said Olga Kuznechevskikh, the vice-governor of the Tyumen region.

Over the past 24 hours, no new appeals from residents of Onokhino with symptoms of the disease have been recorded. The kindergarten located in the same building as the school has been temporarily closed for quarantine, although there are no cases of illness among the pupils. The institution plans to carry out sanitization.

• Starting today, unscheduled inspections of all schools and preschool institutions have begun in the region.
• Educational organizations are introducing mandatory morning screenings to identify sick children.

«If a child comes to school and already feels unwell, regardless of whether it»s norovirus, a cold, or the flu, they must go through the morning screening and be sent home. These screenings will be conducted by teachers, caregivers, and medical staff of the institutions,« explained the deputy governor.

The healthcare system of the Tyumen municipal district has been put on high alert. Pharmacies in Onokhino are provided with the necessary medicines, and there is no shortage of drugs. Similar preventive measures will be strengthened in other municipalities of the region.

The outbreak became known on January 29. According to the latest data, the total number of affected children has reached 116. Parents of the sick schoolchildren earlier described the symptoms that appeared in the children in the first hours of the illness.