A presentation about minimizing the risk of a norovirus outbreak in the hotel/casino industry. Including current statistics, prevention "basics", and current FDA Food Code recommendations.

2. L E T ’ S B E G I N W I T H A F E W FAC T S.

3. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
norovirus is responsible for 685 million illnesses globally.

4. O N E I N F I F T E E N A m e r i c a n s
g e t N o r ov i r u s ev e r y y e a r

5. 20 MILLION
(across the U.S. every year)

6. 5 7 0 - 8 0 0 D E AT H S I N T H E U. S. E AC H Y E A R

7. ALL OF THIS IS PREVENTABLE.
100% PREVENTABLE.

8. H AV E YO U E V E R H A D N O ROV I RU S ?

9. FIVE
That’s the number of times the average
person gets Norovirus!

10. Norovirus can live outside the
body for several days.

11. ice buckets and glasses

12. telephones

13. remote controls

14. elevator buttons

15. door knobs and key cards

16. slot machines

17. playing cards and casino chips

18. buffet area utensils

19. counter tops

20. salt and pepper shakers

21. person to person contact

22. 16%
(of cell phones have poop on them)

23. THAT’ONE IN SIX

24. 1,000,000,000,000 GERMS CAN LIVE IN ONE GRAM OF POOP.
(that’s the weight of a paper clip)

25. Norovirus in a huge threat within
the hospitality industry.

26. Several recent studies indicate that
workers come to work even when
they are sick.

27. 70%
of infected workers cause about
70%
of reported norovirus outbreaks
from contaminated food

28. 1 8 C E L L S
t h a t ’ s a l l i t t a k e s t o
c a u s e a n i l l n e s s

29. Lack of handwashing
Not washing hands properly
Vomit spatter
Not properly cleaning up vomit or fecal matter

30. T H E R E I S N O C U R E F O R N O ROV I RU S

31. HAND SANITIZER
is not an effective means
against norovirus.

32. WASH YOUR HANDS
WASH YOUR HANDS
WASH YOUR HANDS

33. Norovirus can persist for days – or even
weeks on surfaces. Cold, moist conditions help it
survive even longer.

34. ON HARD SURFACES
such as faucets, counters, and door handles, the
viruses survive for up to twelve hours.

35. ON SOFT SURFACES
…up to twelve days - contaminated carpet, for
example. Some studies says the viruses persist
even longer.

36. H O W D O YO U R E D U C E R I S K O F
A N O ROV I RU S O U T B R E A K ?

37. I T ’ S N O T RO C K E T S C I E N C E .
G E T BAC K T O T H E BA S I C S.

38. - Wash hands with soap and water.
- Apply soap.
- Scrub hands well.
- Rinse under clean running water.
- Dry with clean single use towel.
- Turn faucet off with towel.
- Use towel to open door.

39. IF soap and water are not
available, use an alcohol (60%)
based hand sanitizer.
Although these products kill some
germs they are not completely
effective against norovirus and
don’t work well on soiled hands -
therefore it can’t replace
handwashing.

40. Norovirus can survive in bedsheets, comforters, linens, and clothes…

41. HOT WATER
LONGER WASH CYCLES
DRY ITEMS COMPLETELY
(using higher heat)

42. Use disposable ice buckets and drink cups in all
guest rooms, discarding between guests or when
they show visible signs of contamination.

43. Use disposable cleaning cloths. Different colors
for bathrooms and a new set for each guestroom.

44. Use a separate cleaning cloth for the
toilet area of the restrooms.

45. Keep viricidal chemicals on hand to clean and sanitize
high-touch areas- frequently
The majority of the disinfecting wipes on the market
have not been proven to be effective on norovirus.

46. PREVENT CROSS-CONTAMINATION
Don’t use the same cloth that was used to clean
the bathroom to clean an ice bucket.
Clean and sanitize cutting boards and utensils
between prepping foods.

47. CREATE AN ONGOING TRAINING PROGRAM
FOR YOUR TEAM AT ALL LEVELS.

48. HOW TO CREATE A FOOD SAFETY CULTURE:
- MAKE TRAINING FUN
- LEAD BY EXAMPLE
- EXPLAIN WHY
- FOLLOW UP
- JOB AIDS

49. Norovirus is especially dangerous for hotels and casinos.
Disease spreads rampantly. Hundreds or more individuals
get sick at a hotel or casino.
2017 - “Dozens” Marriott, Atlanta, GA
2016 - 50 +/- Hotel Marshfield, Marshfield, WI
2014 - 100+ Royal Hawaiian, Honolulu, HI
2014 - 100s Mohonk Mountain House, New Paltz, N.Y.
2013 - 138 +/- Sawmill Creek Resort, Huron, OH
2013 - 90 +/- Various hotels, Las Vegas, NV

50. NOROVIRUS
YOU DON’T WANT IT

51. IT’S IMPERATIVE THAT YOU:
Develop and implement written procedures for employees to follow
when responding to vomiting or diarrheal events that involve the
discharge of vomitus or fecal matter onto surfaces in the food
establishment, as suggested in the 2013 FDA Food Code.

52. Scientists are closer than ever to developing a vaccine
for norovirus but they aren’t there yet. In the
meantime, it is our responsibility to do everything we
can to prevent the spread of the virus.

53. norocore.ncsu.edu

54. THANK YOU
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