Whether last week’s norovirus outbreak in Taichung’s Hoya Resort Hotel Wuling (武陵富野渡假村) was caused by norovirus GII.17 — a genotype common in certain African nations — has not been determined, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.
The agency made the remarks after a norovirus outbreak at the hotel over the Lunar New Year holiday affected more than 200 guests and employees.
Norovirus infections cause rapid onset of vomiting and diarrhea. The virus is transmitted through the fecal-oral route, primarily via contaminated food or water.
CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said there are many genotypes of norovirus and that local cases last year were caused mostly by GII.4 and GII.6 strains.
“GII.17 genotype was first detected in Taiwan in October 2013, before disappearing shortly later. However, it re-emerged in the nation late last year and has since been the most predominant genotype circulating in the country,” Chuang said.
Chuang said the world’s knowledge about the GII.17 strain’s pathogenicity and level of communicability is still limited, except that it caused a cluster of infections in Africa and Brazil in 2005 and 2006 respectively, and affected a few individuals in the US and Japan in recent years.
“We are still trying to gather all the information we can,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Chiayi County Health Bureau yesterday confirmed that a total of 18 people were suspected of having contracted norovirus in the county’s Alishan (阿里山) area over the past few days.
“They began suffering from vomiting and diarrhea during the period from Tuesday to Thursday last week. A preliminary testing showed that their symptoms could have been caused by a norovirus infection,” the bureau said.
Three of the suspected cases were tourists, while the rest are staffers from the Alishan House (阿里山賓館), the bureau said.
The bureau’s preliminary investigation showed that the small norovirus outbreak could have originated with one of Alishan House’s kitchen workers, who visited a hospital on Tuesday last week for a blood pressure spike.
While at the hospital, a patient waiting next to the worker complained of vomiting and loose stools and was believed to have passed the virus to the employee, who also experienced similar symptoms after returning to the hotel, the bureau said.
Hoya Resort Hotel Group (高野大飯店), which operates Hoya Resort Hotel Wuling, yesterday said the incident could cause about NT$4.5 million (US$142,000) in losses, even though no significant financial impact is expected.
Medical spending for infected customers would be covered by insurance policies, the company yesterday said in a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange.
Hoya said it would return payments to customers who checked in on Monday and yesterday, during the outbreak.
Hoya said it would resume offering rooms today after a two-day shutdown, but its restaurants would remain closed until the health department releases its inspection results.
Additional reporting by Lisa Wang
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday said it is fully aware of the situation following reports that the son of ousted Chinese politician Bo Xilai (薄熙來) has arrived in Taiwan and is to marry a Taiwanese. Local media reported that Bo Guagua (薄瓜瓜), son of the former member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is to marry the granddaughter of Luodong Poh-Ai Hospital founder Hsu Wen-cheng (許文政). The pair met when studying abroad and arranged to get married this year, with the wedding breakfast to be held at The One holiday resort in Hsinchu
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon this morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan between Friday and Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The storm, which as of 8am was still 1,100km southeast of southern Taiwan, is currently expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, the CWA said. Because of its rapid speed — 28kph as of 8am — a sea warning for the storm could be issued tonight, rather than tomorrow, as previously forecast, the CWA said. In terms of its impact, Usagi is to bring scattered or
An orange gas cloud that leaked from a waste management plant yesterday morning in Taoyuan’s Guanyin District (觀音) was likely caused by acidic waste, authorities said, adding that it posed no immediate harm. The leak occurred at a plant in the district’s Environmental Science and Technology Park at about 7am, the Taoyuan Fire Department said. Firefighters discovered a cloud of unidentified orange gas leaking from a waste tank when they arrived on the site, it said, adding that they put on Level A chemical protection before entering the building. After finding there was no continuous leak, the department worked with the city’s Department
RSS