An Environmental Health/Industry Collaboration to Combat Norovirus

Norovirus infection, also known as the “stomach flu” and “winter vomiting disease,” is the second leading cause of death from gastrointestinal infections after Clostridium difficile. Highly contagious, norovirus causes over 20 million illnesses in the US each year; outbreaks notoriously spread through nursing homes, dormitories, schools and daycare environments, especially in late fall to early spring. Early in 2012, Environmental Health Professionals responding to a widespread norovirus outbreak in central New Jersey identified the lack of consumer-friendly prevention and response materials as a barrier to educating the community.

Image: cdc.gov

The need for educational materials to communicate clear, accessible directions for using chlorine bleach solutions to disinfect surfaces against norovirus was communicated to the American Chemistry Council’s Chlorine Chemistry Division. In response, an ad hoc team was established consisting of representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Somerset County Health Department (NJ), National Environmental Health Association, the Water Quality & Health Council, American Chemistry Council and a graphic designer. The team communicated regularly via email and telephone conference to develop appropriate and understandable cleanup and disinfection directions based on CDC guidelines for norovirus. A model of interdisciplinary collaboration, this team approached the challenge and complexity of a potentially difficult concept (i.e., sanitizing and vomit clean-up) and developed educational materials appropriate for a wide variety of audiences. Specifically, the collaborators developed two downloadable posters:

1. surface disinfection directions to be implemented when norovirus is known to be affecting a community;
2. cleanup and disinfection directions in response to vomiting or diarrhea incidents.

The posters use plain language, are available in English and Spanish, and include an educational sidebar, “Facts about Norovirus” and a handwashing message. This presentation will provide background on norovirus, discuss the collaborative process, and provide immediately usable resources for environmental health professionals.