California GOP staffers sick with norovirus are stuck in Ohio hotel

NOROVIRUS ADVICE

Around 12 Republican staffers from California attending the Republican National Convention are sick with norovirus and holed up in a hotel until their symptoms vanish for 24 straight hours.

Staffers received an email early Tuesday morning urging them not to shake hands or share food with other convention-goers. And if they start feeling sick, the email said, don"t get on the bus from the hotel to the convention.

The staffers have reportedly stocked up on hand sanitizer to try to fight off the spread of the virus.

Norovirus is "a very contagious virus that can infect anyone," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "You can get it from an infected person, contaminated food or water, or by touching contaminated surfaces."

The virus inflames the stomach and/or intestines, causing stomach cramps, diarrhea, nausea and puking. Norovirus causes significant symptoms in 19-21 million people in the United States every year, the CDC says, leading to 570-800 deaths, though the virus is generally only fatal among elderly patients and children.

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A delegate attends the opening day of the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans arena in Cleveland, Ohio on July 18, 2016.The Republican Party opened its national convention Monday, kicking off a four-day political jamboree that will anoint billionaire Donald Trump as the Republican presidential nominee. / AFP / DOMINICK REUTER (Photo credit should read DOMINICK REUTER/AFP/Getty Images)

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CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 18: Diana Shores from Farmville, VA (C) protests a roll call vote on the floor on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Cleveland, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Republican National Convention kicks off on July 18. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

A delegate in patriotic dress on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.The Republican Party opened its national convention Monday, kicking off a four-day political jamboree that will anoint billionaire Donald Trump as its presidential nominee. Some 2,000 delegates descended on a tightly secured Cleveland arena where Trump"s wife will take center stage later in the day to make a personal pitch to voters that her billionaire husband is the best candidate for the White House. / AFP / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

A delegate wear an American flag cowboy hat while waiting at a food stand during the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., on Monday, July 18, 2016. The day before the start of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Reince Priebus said Donald Trump has to use the gathering to convince Americans he can be presidential. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images

CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 18: Former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (2nd L) along with other delegates from Virginia chant for a rule call vote on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Cleveland, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Republican National Convention kicks off on July 18. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

A delegate on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.The Republican Party opened its national convention Monday, kicking off a four-day political jamboree that will anoint billionaire Donald Trump as its presidential nominee. Some 2,000 delegates descended on a tightly secured Cleveland arena where Trump"s wife will take center stage later in the day to make a personal pitch to voters that her billionaire husband is the best candidate for the White House. / AFP / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

A Wisconsin delegate on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. / AFP / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

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Delegates react to a rule committee proposal on the opening day of the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans arena in Cleveland, Ohio on July 18, 2016.The Republican Party opened its national convention Monday, kicking off a four-day political jamboree that will anoint billionaire Donald Trump as the Republican presidential nominee. / AFP / DOMINICK REUTER (Photo credit should read DOMINICK REUTER/AFP/Getty Images)

CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 18: Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) speaks during the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Cleveland, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Republican National Convention kicks off on July 18. (Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)

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A delegate protests a rule committee proposal on the opening day of the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans arena in Cleveland, Ohio on July 18, 2016.The Republican Party opened its national convention Monday, kicking off a four-day political jamboree that will anoint billionaire Donald Trump as the Republican presidential nominee. / AFP / DOMINICK REUTER (Photo credit should read DOMINICK REUTER/AFP/Getty Images)

A delegate protests a rule committee proposal on the opening day of the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans arena in Cleveland, Ohio on July 18, 2016.The Republican Party opened its national convention Monday, kicking off a four-day political jamboree that will anoint billionaire Donald Trump as the Republican presidential nominee. / AFP / DOMINICK REUTER (Photo credit should read DOMINICK REUTER/AFP/Getty Images)

CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 18: Delegates from Texas wave their hats in the air on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Cleveland, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Republican National Convention kicks off on July 18. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

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CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 18: Bob Little, delegate from Michigan salutes during the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Cleveland, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Republican National Convention kicks off on July 18. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 18: Jeff Larson, CEO of the Republican National Convention, speaks on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Cleveland, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Republican National Convention kicks off on July 18. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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You may remember norovirus from stories of outbreaks on cruise ships. The virus often finds a home in cruise ships because of "close living quarters, shared dining areas, and rapid turnover of passengers," according to the CDC. Those traits also fit well with the description of a convention, where shared dining areas are common, people come and go, and visitors live alongside each other in hotel rooms.

Despite the outbreak, The Los Angeles Times reported that no other delegates have come down with the virus thus far.

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Source: http://www.aol.com/article/2016/07/19/california-gop-staffers-sick-with-norovirus-are-stuck-in-ohio-ho/21435171/