What happened in Victoria
THOUGH IT WAS not until several hours after the initial illness hit the conference that any official information was made known, it eventually became clear to health officials that attendees were suffering from norovirus.
Norovirus, formerly known as Norwalk agent, is transmitted through food or water that has been contaminated with fecal remnants, person-to-person contact, and touching surfaces contaminated by the virus, particularly when the virus aerosolizes.
The majority of norovirus outbreaks can be traced back to a single infected individual, who then spreads the illness. While no definitive source of the outbreak in Victoria has been determined to date, it is possible one person carried the virus and may have been the original cause.
—Jaclyn Lytle
