Norovirus Season: Four Treated at Mount Hood Medical Center

Four patients at Legacy Health's Mount Hood Medical Center are being treated for norovirus, the hospital said in a statement Friday. All four are being kept in an area away from other patients to keep the virus from spreading.

Legacy said that fall and winter months often bring an increase in norovirus, which involves the stomach and/or intestines getting inflamed causing nausea, stomach cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting.

Legacy Mount Hood's employees have been advised to watch for norovirus-like symptoms and to stay home if they are not feeling well. Mount Hood Medical Center is tracking employees who have reported norovirus-like symptoms. However, the hospital is not experiencing an abnormal number of employees who are ill.

The hospital says that while norovirus is very contagious, in most people it is not a serious illness with most recovering in a few days. It can be more serious, however, for older people, children, and people with weakened immune systems.

Photo Graham Beards via Wikimedia Commons