Olympics - IOC discussing norovirus outbreak, more cases reported

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (Reuters) - Olympic officials are discussing measures to combat the spread of a virus that causes vomiting and diarrhoea after 42 new cases were confirmed at the Winter Games, a Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) official said on Friday.

Olympics - IOC discussing norovirus outbreak, more cases reported

(Reuters)





After rising from an initial 32 norovirus cases on Tuesday to 54 on Wednesday, the figure had risen to 128 as of late Thursday, with most of those affected security personnel, the KCDC said.

The virus broke out ahead of Friday's opening ceremony in Pyeongchang and led to some 1,200 security staff being quarantined. Organisers have had to call in military personnel to replace them.

As yet, no athletes have been confirmed to have contracted the highly contagious virus. An outbreak at last year's World Athletics Championship in London forced competitors from several countries to miss events.

Su Mun-gyo, a KCDC public relations official, told Reuters the International Olympic Committee (IOC) were discussing the issue.

"The IOC is meeting right now about the Winter Olympics and countermeasures to the norovirus is one of the topic," Su said. "We will then announce the results of the discussions and update the number of cases again."

Health agencies are undertaking hygiene inspections at accommodation and restaurants, as well as making checks on drinking and tap water.





(Writing by Peter Rutherford; Reporting by Yuna Park; Editing by John O'Brien)


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world