NH DHHS Provides Update On Manchester Norovirus Outbreak

Concord - The New Hampshire Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) has determined that norovirus was a contributing cause of death in the person who passed away after attending an event at the Puritan Backroom in Manchester, New Hampshire, on November 24, 2019. The OCME completed its final report today after conducting an autopsy last month. The person who died is an adult from Hillsborough county. No additional details about this person will be released by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) due to federal and state privacy laws.

“We express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the person who passed away,” said Chief of the DHHS Bureau of Infectious Disease Control, Beth Daly.

Norovirus is a very contagious virus that causes diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and stomach pain. The virus is shed in the stool of people who are sick and is spread by having direct contact with an infected person, from eating or drinking contaminated food or water, or touching contaminated surfaces and then putting your unwashed hands in your mouth. There is no specific treatment for norovirus and most people with norovirus illness get better within 1 to 3 days.

You can help protect yourself and others from norovirus by:

• Washing your hands thoroughly with soap and water especially after using the toilet or changing diapers, before eating, preparing, or handling food, and before giving yourself or someone else medicine.
• Not preparing food for others, providing healthcare, or providing childcare while you are sick and for at least 2 days after symptoms stop.
• Staying home from school, work, and other events when you are sick
• Cleaning and disinfecting commonly touched surfaces in your home and office, especially areas after someone vomits or has diarrhea.

Anyone with questions about norovirus can speak to their healthcare provider or call the New Hampshire Bureau of Infectious Disease Control at (603) 271-4496. Additional information about norovirus is available on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at https://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/about/index.html.