Jan 17, 2007 5:10 pm US/Eastern
Boston Doctors See Sharp Rise In Stomach Bug Cases
by Dr. Mallika Marshall
BOSTON (CBS4) ―
Health officials in Boston and across the nation are concerned about a rise in the number of people inflicted with a stomach virus this winter.
More than 3700 people have sought treatment for the illness in Boston emergency rooms in the past six weeks.
"In the last six weeks, we have 7 or 8 patients coming in with profound vomiting. We've certainly seen an uptick in the number of cases," said Dr. Alasdair Conn of Mass. General Hospital.
It's caused by a norovirus and hospitals are seeing nearly twice as many patients daily than last winter.
Federal authorities are so concerned that they're holding a conference call this week with local health officials, like Dr. Anita Barry of the Boston Public Health Commission, who are tracking the outbreak in different cities around the country.
"There''s no clear explanation why, but there have been a certain number of outbreaks across the U.S. this year," said Dr. Barry.
The best way to protect yourself from the virus is to wash your hands and avoid close contact with anyone who has it.
If you do get it, avoid food and instead drink plenty of fluids, especially rehydration solutions like Gatorade. It typically passes within a few days.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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