Posted: May 31st, 2012 - 12:44pm
Source: Turks & Caicos Sun

More than 150 persons have been affected with gastroenteritis and sought medical attention in the Turks and Caicos Islands since the end of April 2012, according to health officials investigating the mysterious sickness that has affected about 12 hotels on the island of Providenciales.
The officials also reported they recently have discovered one case of norovirus, but they noted that this virus cannot be confirmed as the cause of the current outbreak of diarrhea and vomiting.
A government press release gave no details whatsoever about whether the more than 150 gastroenteritis cases were tourists, hotel workers or ordinary residents, neither did health officials shed any light on who was affected by the single case of norovirus.
The officials, however, may have sought to downplay the seriousness of the norovirus sickness, saying in a release that norovirus is a highly contagious viral illness “which is common in outbreaks of gastroenteritis (diarrhea and vomiting) throughout the world”.