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Potential norovirus outbreak sickens GOP national convention staffers
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The Erie County Health Department in Ohio has reported at least 12 illnesses consistent with norovirus infection among staffers attending the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.
All of the affected individuals appeared to have the illness prior to their arrival at the convention, according to a press release from the department, and several are no longer symptomatic.
All 12 individuals affected by the illness were Republican Party staffers who attended the convention, Jim Brult, chairman of the party's California delegation, told The Washington Post.
After receiving an initial report of 11 potential persons with the illness, the health department’s enteric disease team met with employees at Kalahari Resorts in Sandusky, Ohio — the hotel where the party delegates were staying — and the affected staffers. After a thorough on-site investigation involving examination of food preparation areas and interviews with hotel staff, the team discovered no issues warranting corrective action. According to the department, all of the sickened individuals have cooperated with the investigation and have voluntarily quarantined themselves in their hotel rooms.
Symptoms including fever, vomiting and diarrhea led the department to suspect norovirus infection. According to the release, this diagnosis cannot be confirmed until samples are returned from testing on Friday.