According to the Kansas City Star, 10 patients and eight staff members became sick with a gastrointestinal illness. While awaiting lab test results, the hospital treated the outbreak as norovirus and stopped admitting patients for a few days as a result.
The Marillac Campus is an acute psychiatric hospital helping children with mental illness and behavioral challenges. It became part of the University of Kansas Health System in 2015.
The facility underwent “days of extensive cleaning and re-cleaning for combating the norovirus,” according to a hospital statement released to the Star. The Marillac Campus has started accepting new patients again, according to a Sunday statement.
Norovirus is a highly contagious virus spread from infected people, contaminated food or water, or by touching contaminated surfaces, according to the CDC. The virus causes 56,000 to 71,000 hospitalizations and 570 to 800 deaths in the U.S. annually.
The CDC recommends practicing hand hygiene and using a chlorine bleach solution or other disinfectant to kill and prevent norovirus from spreading.
Note: This story was updated Feb. 10 to reflect new information.
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