Over 240 students in Taiwan ill with Norovirus

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There’s a lot of Norovirus going around Taiwan resulting in hotel closures, waivers and according to the Want China Times, the latest group hit by the vomit-inducing pathogen are students on graduation trips.

About 140 students and teachers out of a 285-person group from New Taipei Municipal An Kang High School reported diarrhea and vomiting during their trip to southern Taiwan, according to the CDC.10849902_719581291471357_3442145704847569295_n1-300x300

The symptoms appeared after the group ate breakfast at their hotel in the scenic Kenting area on Thursday morning and again after eating dinner at another restaurant on Thursday night, the agency said.

The patients were sent to numerous hospitals and most of them have been discharged, the agency said.

Likewise, 100 students from Ming Hu Elementary School in Taipei have reported vomiting during their trip to Chiayi county since Thursday morning.

The CDC said it is investigating if any staff members of the hotels and restaurants the group visited have contracted the disease.

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About Ben Chapman

Dr. Ben Chapman is a professor and food safety extension specialist at North Carolina State University. As a teenager, a Saturday afternoon viewing of the classic cable movie, Outbreak, sparked his interest in pathogens and public health. With the goal of less foodborne illness, his group designs, implements, and evaluates food safety strategies, messages, and media from farm-to-fork. Through reality-based research, Chapman investigates behaviors and creates interventions aimed at amateur and professional food handlers, managers, and organizational decision-makers; the gate keepers of safe food. Ben co-hosts a biweekly podcast called Food Safety Talk and tries to further engage folks online through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and, maybe not surprisingly, Pinterest. Follow on Twitter @benjaminchapman.