Manhattan (Kansas) already feels empty as Kansas State University prepares for the annual adolescent orgy of excess known as Spring Break.Two years ago I experienced my first U.S.-style spring break with Amy and we went on the great Tex-Mex road trip, heading south through Oklahoma and then west to Albuquerque

Did Garp worry about norovirus while wrestling?Dr. Chill Yee, a sports medicine fellow with the Montana Family Medicine Residency in Billings, worries about norovirus and wrestling."You can imagine with such a high-contact sport how easily things are spread. …  This is unique because we have such high contact

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that cruise passengers got a break last year, as serious cases of gastrointestinal illness at sea fell sharply after setting a record in 2006.Last year, there were 16 confirmed outbreaks of norovirus on ships monitored by the CDC, down from 29 outbreaks the year before

San Mateo County Director of Environmental Health Dean Peterson said that laboratory tests revealed Thursday that 62 of about 200 people attending a Redwood City-San Mateo County Chamber of Commerce event at Hotel Sofitel on Jan. 24 were infected with norovirus.The Examiner reports that health officials had pinpointed either the salmon or chicken, which was served as the evening’s main courses, and that nobody who chose the vegetarian entrée fell sick

The Daily Journal in California reports that 45 of 200 guests at a Redwood City-San Mateo County Chamber of Commerce gathering at the Hotel Sofitel last week may have contracted the highly communicable norovirus.The chamber was holding its annual dinner and awards recognition banquet, according to the group’s Web site

The Associated Press is reporting an outbreak of norovirus at Villanova University.  Health officials are saying the nasty virus sent 14 people to the emergency room and has sickened close to 100 others. Officials also say that they don't think a common food vehicle is involved as ill students live both on campus and off

After 19 years, the Scottish government is bent on asking the United States to overturn its ban on Scotland's traditional and national dish called 'haggis.'The U.S. implemented a ban on haggis from Scotland in 1989 amidst the bovine spongiform encephalopathy [mad cow] scare because the dish contains offal ingredients such as sheep lungs

Today's New York Times has a great article on viruses, inspired by writer Natalie Angier's post-New Year's Eve norovirus encounter.In it she writes that viruses are: infectious parasitic agents tiny enough to pass through a microfilter that would trap bacteria and other microbes, tiny enough to fit millions on board a single fleck of spit

The Evening Standard reports that 78 passengers have been stricken with norovirus and confined to their cabins on what has been dubbed The 'Curse of Camilla' cruise ship  on only its second cruise.The passengers, including former Formula 1 motor-racing champion Sir Jackie Stewart, dubbed the Canary Islands trip the "cruise from hell" after complaining about poor room service, blocked toilets, a lack of Christmas decorations, cold food and extra charges for tea and coffee