Epidemiological analysis of norovirus outbreak in a primary school in Guangzhou in 2013

Objective To investigate the epidemic characteristics of an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis caused by norovirus so as to provide basis for formulating prevention and control strategies. Methods The epidemiological investigation method was used to analyze an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis caused by norovirus in a primary school in Guangzhou in 2013. Clinical manifestations and laboratory examination were also considered. Results An outbreak of acute gastroenteritis occurred in a primary school from December 23 to December 26 in 2013, including 107 pupils, with an attack rate of 9.18%. The main clinical symptoms were vomiting（95.33%, 102/107）, fever（46.73%, 50/107）, and diarrhea（27.10%, 29/107）, which were all mild symptoms. Having lunch and having a rest in hosting facilities outside school was the risk factor of the outbreak （0R=3.215, 95%CI：1.150-8.987, X^2=5.107, P〈0.05）. G Ⅱ positive was detected in 7 out of 12 stool samples from acute gastroenteritis patients. Conclusions Having lunch and having a rest in hosting facilities outside school is the risk factor of this norovirus outbreak. The governmental departments of education and health should pay more attention to the supervision and management of hosting facilities outside school Key words: Gastroenteritis;  Norovirus;  Outbreak