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Bacteria, parasites, and, more commonly, viruses can cause vomiting and diarrhea - especially in places where people crowd together. Noroviruses (Norwalk-like viruses) are one of the most common viruses that cause these illnesses. To confirm the cause of an outbreak, collection and testing of specimens should always be undertaken.
General measures for all staff and evacuation center residents:
1) Wash hands regularly with soap and water. When soap and clean water are not readily available, alcohol hand gels are adequate substitutes.
2) Keep a clean living environment.
3) Keep good personal hygiene by:
- Following good hygienic practices during food preparation;
- Not sharing eating utensils or drinking containers; and,
- Not sharing personal toilet articles such as toothbrushes or towels with anyone else.
4) Adequate facilities to allow residents to bathe at least twice a week.
5) Available Laundry facilities to allow appropriate laundering of clothes and bed linens.
If persons in the evacuation center are sick with diarrheal diseases, evacuation center staff should:
1) Provide residents with information about gastroenteritis. Ask sick persons about the type and frequency of symptoms to determine if medical care is necessary.
2) Separate sick persons from other residents for 24 hours until diarrhea and vomiting stop. Sick children should be accompanied by, at most, one adult. The same adult should stay with the child until 24 hours after symptoms stop. If possible, put them in a separate room or, alternatively, place sick people in a separate section of the evacuation center away from other residents. The cleanliness of designated areas should have full time staff supervision to ensure that it is cleaned and appropriately supplied.
3) Designate toilets for use only by persons who are sick.
4) Serve food to ill persons away from persons who are not sick.
5) Provide residents with plastic bags to contain vomit and to dispose of diapers.
6) Provide residents with supplies to clean up spills.
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