It was confirmed that the 180 young people on a graduation trip in Bariloche who had vomiting and diarrhea had contracted norovirus, a highly contagious infectious disease. The health authorities of the municipality reported that the infections began in mid-July and increased in recent days this month. The information was confirmed by Dr. Rodrigo Bustamante, epidemiologist at the Regional Hospital of Bariloche.
The first vomit samples were then sent to the Malbrán Institute in Buenos Aires: the virological analysis was positive for norovirus. The stool samples were processed in the Bacteriology laboratory of the Zonal Hospital of Bariloche and were negative for pathogenic bacteria.
The first cases
The situation became worrying this week when a group of parents who were traveling with their children noticed that many of them had similar symptoms and began to report them (others showed the illness when they returned home). It was then discovered that several student groups were suffering from the same thing. It has now been confirmed that it is the norovirus that causes fever, gastroenteritis, diarrhea and inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Given the situation of the trip, sharing common places all day, they began to infect each other.
Dr. Bustamante told the press that “in tourist destinations with a high concentration of people, it is normal for this type of outbreak to occur occasionally. Fortunately, in Bariloche we are quite prepared from the health department and from the hotels, which know well how to handle it. In this case, it was stopped quite quickly: it could have spread to other hotels and it didn’t happen because action was taken quickly.”
The disease is spread through food or water, and through close contact between people. Vomit and fecal matter from someone who is sick can also contaminate toilets, doorknobs, faucets, carpets and couches. When someone touches these surfaces and then puts their hand in their mouth, they become infected. So students who share a room are very exposed. A secondary symptom can be cramps.
The symptomatology
Symptoms usually begin 12 to 48 hours after exposure to norovirus and last one to three days. It is sometimes referred to as the “cruise ship virus” because it often occurs on cruise ships.
In 2019, there was a norovirus outbreak among students in Bariloche that affected 1,300 of them.
Gastón Burlón, president of the Student Tourism Chamber (CATE) stated: “It is important to highlight that CATE member companies comply with strict protocols for each contingency. In this case, samples were taken and the virus was found to be norovirus. It is a virus that is everywhere, not just in Bariloche. It also affects adults and lasts a little more than 24 hours. The truth is that everything possible is done to avoid contagion. Companies are constantly monitoring the children, doctors visit the hotels every day, they are taken care of.”
The Zonal Hospital explained that the norovirus outbreak occurred during the second half of July and has already been contained. Currently, there are no cases in this city, reported the Epidemiology Department, and there were no hospitalizations due to dehydration.
The health authorities in Bariloche remain on alert because, as this is a highly transmissible virus, it is difficult to eliminate it permanently from the hotels, given that due to the constant circulation of groups, they are never empty to carry out a thorough disinfection, even though very strict cleaning campaigns are being carried out in the facilities.
To prevent infection, it is recommended to wash your hands frequently and to be more careful with cleaning. There are infected people who do not show symptoms, which sometimes makes eradication difficult. There is no specific treatment and the speed of recovery depends more on the capacity of each person’s immune system. There are rarely serious cases, but the infection is enough to ruin a vacation.
