Korean health officials at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, increased the count of confirmed norovirus cases related to an ongoing outbreak to 199 Tuesday, marking a 113-case increase since Feb. 7.
The outbreak originated in a youth training center where Olympic staff stayed prior to the games. Infected individuals have included security workers at the games and food service workers in the media village. Among confirmed cases, 154 individuals recovered and 45 remained quarantined as of Tuesday.
"As a result of epidemiological investigation, the cause of the norovirus is assumed to be due to the possibility of polluted water that was used for cooking [at the youth center]," said the Korean Centre for Disease Control. "The risk of Norovirus was 6.5 times higher than the person who did not eat the food provided by the cent[er] … After the training cent[er] stopped providing meals for the people there, requested for frequent hand wash, to use the hand sanitizer etc., the Norovirus infection reduced considerably."
Norovirus is transmitted via contact with the stool or vomit of an infected person, which can contaminate food and water. Symptoms of the virus can include stomach pain, fever, vomiting and diarrhea.
To learn more about norovirus, click here.
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