Lessons Learned From an Elementary School Norovirus Outbreak

Outbreaks of norovirus have been on the increase. The virus often spreads quickly through schools and similar institutions. The school nurse may be able to minimize the impact of a school norovirus outbreak by providing accurate information about the disease, the scope of the local situation, and instruction on infection control measures. This article describes a norovirus outbreak experienced by an elementary school in which 41% of students were afflicted. The experience of the school nurse managing the outbreak is examined, and recommendations are offered for use by other school nurses facing similar outbreaks to reduce the spread and impact of the virus. Often the very measures that school personnel instinctively employ, such as the increased use of hand sanitizers and systematic use of disinfecting agents that are actually ineffective against norovirus, can have the opposite of the intended effect and inadvertently further the spread of the disease.