Lakenheath urges awareness as several fall ill

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Lakenheath urges awareness as several fall ill
By Sean Kimmons, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Monday, November 19, 2007

RAF LAKENHEATH, England — A public health official has advised base personnel to keep their hands clean after the military hospital here reported a higher-than average number of gastrointestinal illnesses recently.

There were 21 cases of stomach-related illnesses diagnosed in the two-day period at RAF Lakenheath’s hospital, slightly higher than the typical seven-a-day average, according to public health flight commander Lt. Col. Steven Hinten.

The increase goes hand-in-hand with the colder months that tend to cause more cases of stomach flu and influenza.

“There’s nothing going on that we believe is out of the ordinary,” Hinten said over the phone Friday. “It’s typical for the season.”

The uptick in illnesses could be the result of many things, including one of the viruses categorized under norovirus, Hinten said.

Noroviruses can cause stomach flu, or gastroenteritis. Symptoms last about a day or two and include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and some stomach cramping. Infected people may also have a slight fever, chills, headache, muscle aches and a feeling of tiredness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site.


Rest of article at: http://stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=50375