While a water cache on a long trail can be a blessing for those who have underestimated their water needs, it can also be a danger, as was discovered by dozens of hikers sickened with norovirus. Although not confirmed, the norovirus outbreak appears to be centered around a water cache on a stretch of the Pacific Coast Trail, about an hour northeast of Los Angeles.
Norovirus symptoms include violent vomiting, diarrhea and dehydration, which can be severe enough to require immediate medical attention, and led, in this case, to at least one air rescue. Additionally, due to the highly contagious nature of the virus, the surrounding communities were taking precautions to preserve public health, including the continual wiping down of surfaces and the temporary shutdown of a camp that supports the hikers.
The norovirus season generally runs November through April in the northern hemisphere, but it can appear at any time; and remote area hikers can be particular susceptible due to a lack of appropriate sanitation and ongoing close contact with fellow hikers. About two dozen of the Pacific Coast Trail hikers reported symptoms, with at least seven confirmed as having norovirus. Since the outbreak, volunteers have replaced the waters containers at the suspected site with sealed water bottles and have asked hikers to separate used bottles from clean ones.
For more on norovirus, see TAG’s Infectious Disease Fact Sheet on Norovirus.
Public Health News:
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