Public Health Unit, Algarve Central Health Centre Grouping, Regional Health Administration of Algarve, Faro, Portugal.
Public Health Unit, Algarve Barlavento Health Centre Grouping, Regional Health Administration of Algarve, Portimão, Portugal.
Arch Virol. 2023 Nov 28;168(12):299. doi: 10.1007/s00705-023-05926-z.
This brief report presents the findings of an epidemiological investigation into a large-scale outbreak of norovirus gastroenteritis that occurred in a hotel in Algarve, Portugal, in August 2022. A total of 244 cases were reported, primarily affecting Portuguese families, with the parents aged 40-50 years and the children aged 0-19 years. Reported symptoms included vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhoea. Norovirus genotype GI.3 [P3] was detected in stool samples from eight probable cases, while food samples tested negative for norovirus and common pathogenic bacteria. The investigation data collected suggest that the source of the outbreak was likely in the hotel's common areas, with subsequent person-to-person transmission in other areas. The final report emphasizes the importance of improving outbreak prevention and control measures, including the development of a foodborne outbreak investigation protocol, the establishment of an outbreak response team, and the enhancement of regional laboratory capacity.
本简要报告介绍了 2022 年 8 月在葡萄牙阿尔加维一家酒店发生的大规模诺如病毒肠胃炎暴发的流行病学调查结果。共报告了 244 例病例，主要影响葡萄牙家庭，父母年龄在 40-50 岁之间，儿童年龄在 0-19 岁之间。报告的症状包括呕吐、恶心、腹痛和腹泻。从 8 例疑似病例的粪便样本中检测到诺如病毒基因型 GI.3 [P3]，而食品样本检测出诺如病毒和常见致病菌均为阴性。调查数据表明，暴发的源头可能在酒店的公共区域，随后在其他区域发生了人与人之间的传播。最终报告强调了改善暴发预防和控制措施的重要性，包括制定食源性暴发调查方案、建立暴发应对小组以及增强区域实验室能力。
