Norovirus on At in Western Maine

[peakbagger]

Just think I could have had a different thread title

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/sho...iting-and-Diarrhea-on-the-Trail-Western-Maine

My speculation is this could be the result of an AT hostel, perhaps in Andover? Many hikers leave Gorham and Andover is their first town stop. The hostels are typical bare bones places and once they got exposed to someone with Norovirus I expect it would be awhile for them to get cleaned up adequately. Norovirus has been reported all along the AT this year.

I have seen other reports that alcohol based hand sanitizer isnt adequate for disinfecting Norovirus, chlorinated products are recommended.

 

[Jason Berard]

Yup. Met a bunch of afflicted folks while in the Mahoosucs two weekends ago. Northbound and southbound folks seemed to be affected in equal measure. Didn't get much sleep either night due to the noise.

Also was in fear for my own GI health and well being, since I shared some "hiker's wine" with a couple guys who ended up sick. Basically, It was crystal light, 27 oz of water, and 5oz of grain alcohol (maybe the grain killed the virus??).

 

[Breeze]

Um. Ok, this could AND SHOULD be a word to the wise that in really hot humid summer weather, when the AT north and south is highly traveled, over mileage that is difficult, with limited safe water sources and legal camping areas, and no toilet facilities, personal trail hygiene is extremely important. Not only for any one individual, but for everyone who shares trail or follows.

but, ummmmmmm..... why point to an Andover Hostel as a possible infection point ? Could it not be that an Andover ME Hostel was the first available telephone or internet access to be the first available reporting point between Grafton Notch Me and Gorham NH and NOT the actual infection location?

Be careful out there. If not just for yourself, think of others. No one is alone in time and space. We should never act or assume that we are alone in this world.

Breeze

 

[Red Oak]

I was in Stratton last week for a few days and felt funny when I came back,wonder if its there also because of the mass of a.t. hikers that pass through.This could also explain the flu like thing going around here in southern nh.
Good point breeze about the location factor and being clean in public areas.....peace

 

[bikehikeskifish]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norovirus

I updated the thread title to include the o in Norovirus. The linked article mentions heat or chlorine, and that alcohol does not work very well.


Tim

 

[una_dogger]

Google norovirus and you find there have been many outbreaks all over the US this year.

Why blame a hostel? Hikers are there getting clean - more likely it's living on a privy door handle where hand washing is definately *not* taking place

;-)

 

[peakbagger]

Nothing personal implied towards Andover hostels over any other hostel. The postings I have seen are described as Western Maine. In broad terms, this usually implies west of Saddleback. The Mahoosucs are sometimes wrapped into the Western Maine designation as a portion of the section is in Maine. The typical thruhiker itinerary is zero and resupply in Gorham NH, then hike to East B Hill Road and catch a ride to one of two hostels in Andover and then hike for a few days to Rt 17 or Rt 4 where they usually go into Rangeley for a resupply (not sure now that Gull Pond is closed if there is hostel near Rangeley ). Although there is a possibility of Norovirus in backcountry shelters, the far more typical point of contagion would be a hostel/motel as there are a lot more surfaces that are used in common and far lower air circulation then in open shelters.

On a personal note, while hiking the AT over the years, although intentionally not during the thru hiker rush, I didnt see rampant personal close contact or sharing of eating implements or food between most hikers in the backcountry. I did on the other hand experience many AT trail hostels/accomodations that had common cooking gear in common kitchens and had a level of hygiene far lower than that required to keep an admittitedly easy to transmit virus from being transmitted. I am not complaining about the accomodations, just making a observation of what I saw. The reality is that for usually a donation or maybe $10 per night, a host is not going to be able to afford to maintain a place to a high standard.

Of course there always could be cook at restaurant that is spreading it, but Norovirus has not been publicized in the general population so the possible vectors point to locations used by a lot of hikers in close quarters and that one of those points is a hostel/motel. Andover appears to be in the center of the latest issue and there are no motels in Andover so thus my speculation. Currently there is a lot of Northbound and Southbound traffic but if there was an assumption that the predominate group is northbound, then the hostels in Gorham/Shelburne could also be a source, although that would tend to shift the impact point to the mahoosucs rather than "western maine" given the reported rapid time for it to kick in after exposure.

 

[Jason Berard]

There were notes from the Caretaker in the log books at both Full Goose and Speck Pond that they had noted a serious increase in hikers being sick in the days preceding my visit two weekends ago, so it is in the Mahoosucs, not to say it is isolated to that area.

 

[una_dogger]

There were notes from the Caretaker in the log books at both Full Goose and Speck Pond that they had noted a serious increase in hikers being sick in the days preceding my visit two weekends ago, so it is in the Mahoosucs, not to say it is isolated to that area.

Those poor hikers.....its hard enough being sick at home in your own bed, but to be suffering GI stuff out on the trail...that's rough.

I still vividly remember getting sick in Nepal on a month long trek -- it was no fun.

 

[griffin]

Zoinks, that's scary. I caught noro last winter, and I can't imagine being on the trail in that condition. It was all I could do to crawl out of bed for two days, and even after the worst was over I was still really weak and tired.

 

[GBKDalton]

I had a norovirus over the winter and though it passed quickly, I was basically destroyed for a few days. I could barely hobble around the apartment. I feel badly for the hikers. God only knows where they picked it up as they're incredibly contagious. Ten people sleeping in a shelter together may have done it. I'm a nurse, I probably caught it at work from a coworker and god knows we wash our hands constantly. If we couldn't keep from infecting each other, a bunch of thru-hikers didn't stand a chance.

 

[sardog1]

The linked article mentions heat or chlorine, and that alcohol does not work very well.

more likely it's living on a privy door handle where hand washing is definately *not* taking place

I'm a nurse, I probably caught it at work from a coworker and god knows we wash our hands constantly. If we couldn't keep from infecting each other, a bunch of thru-hikers didn't stand a chance.

Looks like I'll just have to skip the wipes at the public places and bring a handheld propane torch or chlorine spray. I wonder whether that will cause any difficulties ....

 

[Damselfly]

I had just spent some time along the AT in Maine.... Passed one very sick thru-hiker heading out to take some zero days.... And 24 hours later I was laid flat with the symptoms described in the article. I had to return home early I was so weak.

My neighbor was cru-ing at one of the huts this summer, and he reported a lot of I'll thru-hikers, and some of his crew got sick, too.

good news is that all things eventually pass... (no pun intended)... Bad news was that my getting ill impacted my husband's vacation time. Oh well!

 

[wardsgirl]

I spent the better part of last week hiking from Rangely to Stratton. Saw a few sick thru-hikers. I avoided shelters like the plague... literally.

I was even concerned about grabbing rebar and well-used roots, knowing that others may have recently touched them.

I made use of hand sanitizer that I stored in my toilet kit for the first time ever.

So far, not sick.

*knock on wood*