MARYSVILLE — The Snohomish Health District is looking into reports of a norovirus-like illness that has popped up among people who reportedly visited a trampoline park here.
Reports have come in to the health district of people getting sick over the weekend with symptoms indicative of norovirus, a fast-spreading disease often mistakenly called the stomach flu.
A temporary call center has been activated at 425-388-5088. People should call if they visited Altitude Trampoline Park on 64th Street NE on or after March 10, and if they experience symptoms, officials said.
The call center is to remain open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday, and longer if the number of cases increases.
Symptoms include stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. The disease causes the stomach, intestines or both to become inflamed. People may experience a sudden onset of symptoms within one to two days of exposure. Headaches, chills, muscle aches, tiredness and a low-grade fever may accompany stomach discomfort. Symptoms generally last for one or two days.
The disease can spread through consumption of contaminated food or water, touching contaminated surfaces or being in close contact with someone who is infected, according to the health district.
“Schools, daycares and other places where large numbers of children play — like trampoline parks — can be prime spots for the germs (to) spread quickly,” said Nancy Furness, director of the health district’s communicable disease division, in a news release.
Normally, norovirus and other gastrointestinal illnesses are not considered necessary to report under health district requirements. However, officials do track such illnesses when they may be part of a larger outbreak.
The trampoline park closed voluntarily for extensive cleaning Tuesday. Owner David Jones told the health district that the business does daily cleaning and the deep clean was an additional measure to prevent spreading the illness.
The business brought in a specialty cleaning company to scrub the entire trampoline park Tuesday, said Tiffany Carr, an assistant manager at Altitude. They were able to reopen late Tuesday afternoon and also were open Wednesday, she said.
The illness first was noted there on Friday, when a child at the trampoline park got sick, Carr said. Others in the same party as that child also seemed to be feeling sick. She’s not sure if the kids got sick at the park or if one or more of them already had the illness when they arrived.
Altitude employees have been trained on daily cleaning of the park and after the deep clean, “it’s safe to jump here,” Carr said.
Customers are the first priority and workers at the park want to prevent any further spread of the illness, Jones told the health district.
There are no medicines or vaccines meant to treat or prevent norovirus.
The best preventative measures are washing hands, washing fruits and vegetables, keeping sick children away from school or child care, disinfecting surfaces that may be contaminated, and washing any soiled clothes or linens thoroughly.
Anyone who is sick with the virus should focus on staying hydrated. The most common risk with the illness is dehydration, especially for young children, older adults or people with existing health problems.
Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com
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