Approximately 20 people at a Red Cross emergency center in Chico, Calif., have exhibited symptoms aligned with norovirus, according to the Sacramento Bee.
About 110 individuals are staying at the emergency center — housed at Silver Dollar Fairgrounds — after facing orders to evacuate the nearby city of Oroville due to the possible failure of the Oroville Dam.
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Five Red Cross workers are among those sickened. The workers were taken to local hotels and sickened residents were quarantined from healthy individuals at the shelter.
Among all age groups, 16 percent of acute gastroenteritis illnesses are caused by norovirus. The illness contributes to 56,000 to 71,000 hospitalizations and 570 to 800 deaths each year on average, according to the CDC.
To learn more about norovirus, click here.
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