More Details on GI Illness Outbreak in Monmouth County

Monmouth County, NJ - The gastrointestinal illness outbreak Patch reported on last week has popped up in two schools and one long-term care facility in Monmouth County, said Nicole Mulvaney, a spokesperson for the New Jersey Department of Health.

However, neither she nor county health officials would specify in which towns the illness has been reported.

Multiple cases of the stomach bug have been reported in each of those three outbreak areas, Mulvaney said — the two schools and the care facility. Symptoms include abdominal cramping, nausea, and vomiting lasting twenty four to forty eight hours.

She added that the Monmouth County incidents are isolated, and health officials are not seeing anything statewide that would suggest any unusual GI illnesses.

In unrelated health news, the seasonal flu has also been reported this week in Monmouth County, Laura Kirkpatrick, a spokeswoman for Monmouth County’s office of public information, told Patch Tuesday.

“We are hearing anecdotally that emergency rooms and doctors’ offices are seeing more cases of GI illness and the seasonal flu,” said Kirkpatrick. “These are typical trends that we see in public health this time of year.”

Mulvaney echoed that.

“This is the time of year when we would expect an increase in GI illness, most commonly associated with norovirus,” Mulvaney said. “Exactly why norovirus peaks in the winter months is unknown, but individuals spending more time indoors likely plays a role.”

Anyone who has symptoms of either illness should stay home for 24 hours after symptoms have stopped to avoid spreading the virus to others. People involved in a food handling occupation should stay home 48 hours after symptoms have stopped. Hand washing is the best defense against spreading either a stomach bug or the flu, health officials said.