Re: So, who likes tacos?
 

I'm sorry for those who got sick. It seems to me after every regional alot of people get sick. Usually it is just the flu or the cold and not something this bad. But seriously, there is lots of human contact going on, and not as much hygene that should be going on. I'm often surprised that more people don't get ill.

I remember one year at Philly a bucket of cookie dough with spoons in it was making it way through the crowd. No one knew where it came from or where it started but most people took a bite and kept passing. Luckilly the community bucket of re-used spoons, raw eggs and sugar didn't make me or anyone i know sick, but you get the point.

Re: So, who likes tacos?
 

Well, it seems the "outbreak" even made my local paper! Here's a link and text of the article, as it was requested.
---
(link only good for today, I believe)
Competing students sickened by virus

Daily Press

March 7, 2004

Fifty to 100 students participating in the NASA/Virginia Commonwealth University robotics competition were sickened in an outbreak of Norwalk virus infection.

The competition was Thursday through Saturday at VCU's Siegel Center in Richmond. Between 2,500 and 3,000 students and adults from the United States and Canada attended, said Jeff Seaton, the NASA Langley Research Center official in charge of the competition.

The Norwalk virus - which has gotten publicity in recent years as the cruise ship virus - is a highly contagious gastrointestinal illness that causes vomiting and diarrhea.

The Richmond Public Health Department identified it as the cause of the illness but could not determine where it started, Seaton said.

Saturday, health officials visited with the 62 teams at the competition and gave them advice on hand-washing, using hand sanitizers and avoiding physical contact, to curtail spread of the infection.

Some students were unable to complete the competition because of illness. Some went to a hospital for treatment of symptoms, Seaton said.

Among the competitors were teams from the New Horizons Regional Education Center in Newport News and from Gloucester and Mathews counties.

Several New Horizons students became ill, Seaton said. He didn't know if any of the Middle Peninsula students got sick.

WAVY-TV 10 contributed to this article.

Re: So, who likes tacos?
 

Over here at 384, Sparky, some were sick before Friday. But by yesterday, members of our team, well actually a little more than half I would gather were running in and out of the arena to the bathrooms, or had upset stomaches. On Friday night, not long after the social, our arm operator, and I were both loosing our dinner, and Saturday morning around 5 am I decided I had had enough of the dry heaving, and I went the the hospital. They pumped me full of this fluid stuff, which knocked me out within 30 seconds of it getting in my blood stream, and gave me a shot, and this pill, I woke up 1 and 1/2 hour later, I was fine. It was insane, like there was nothing ever wrong, they gave me some food, I kept it down, in contrast to not being to even hold a sip of water a few hours earlier. But while I was there they took 4 test tubes full of my blood, and checked it. The results said there was no sign of any virus in my blood, but a bacteria or something that had been resulting in food posioning. Also if it was as contagious as they say it is, my parents would be sick as well, but they aren't.
Mr. Ivey

Re: So, who likes tacos?
 

One of our members said our team was on the news and they said it was Norwalk too (the same station that contributed to the article above). It could have been. I think it becomes contagious after you get over it but I'm not sure.

Re: So, who likes tacos?
 

Could everyone post a rough estimate of how many people on your team were sickened? The news said that 50-100 students became ill. That estimate seems low to me given all the people I talked to. I know we (401) sent 5 extremely sick students back to Blacksburg/Christiansburg at about 5 AM on Friday. 3-4 more students were ill but stuck around including our main driver. 3 of us collegiate mentors originally from Hampton Roads came down here to stay with our parents to recuperate. I know at least one more mentor became ill also, bringing our team's total to at least 12 (possibly more, I can home right after the tournament so I don't know if more eventually became ill). I heard Grundy (388) lost a bunch of people, 122 i know lost their driver and human player, anyways, if anyone wants to share about how many people on their teams were sick, i'd be very interested to know how many people really came down with it.

As for tracking down the source, I believe all of us on 401 who got sick had the sandwiches from the VCU college of engineering party, we went to the team social at the science museum also, but one of the mentors who became ill didn't eat anything, just had a single can of diet pepsi. If it was the Norwalk Virus though, I suppose it could have started from the food, and then been spread in the tight quarters in the pits and stands and from sharing bathrooms and drinking fountains with sick people.

Re: So, who likes tacos?
 

Team 836 also got sick but we think it is a virus because they had a fever which is not a symptom of food posining, and besides three of the ones that got sick didn't eat tacos. Furthermore my mom says that there is a bad virus going around the south and i think we happened to get it.

Re: So, who likes tacos?
 

When all was said and done on Saturday, I reckon about 8 to 10 people from 384 were feeling some sickness, or were running to the porclen steering wheel.
ivey

Re: So, who likes tacos?
 

Luckily, 0 from my team were extremely ill, only maybe I had some problems, but probably not a virus or food poisoning.

Re: So, who likes tacos?
 

This is solid proof that EVERY team should have extra drivers and human players ready to go, just in case something like this occurs again...

I hope that everyone that got sick is feeling better soon. :)

Re: So, who likes tacos?
 

hey im worth something... sorry to hear about all the teams that had a problem wiht the sickness going around

Re: So, who likes tacos?
 

I want to let everyone who got sick know how badly i feel for them, I too am infected... It has been a horrible few nights, and yesterday I was finally taken to the hospital coz i threw up on myself while sleeping. They did a whole bunch of stuff to me, most of which I cant remember(being totally exausted and sleepy at around 1 AM)...

Me and one of our drivers were doing some elimination of where this outbreak started and we also point straight towards the school of engineering , but We are sure it wasnt the food, but instead the drinks and the containers in which the drinks were kept in. We have vegetarian members who attended that social who did get sick, and we also have members who ate both types of sandwiches that didnt get sick... so it wasnt the meat, im thinking it was the ice/water that the drinks were kept in , the virus spreads from contact and then by mouth, and everyone was putting there hands in the containers of drinks, and then that same water remained on the top of the drinks when opened... this is my hypothesis on what spread the virus... where it originated, well anyone could have had the virus to start off with...

and as for the people at the science museum, well it was the infected people from the school of engineering who spread it again through the drink containers, coz everyone was putting there hands in that stuff... plus the virus doesnt show up for a minimum of 10-24 hours and we were sick within 2 hours of the second social, and our driver before the second social started....


thas my 10 cents

Re: So, who likes tacos?
 

I think they got their figures wrong, because there were about 10 people on our team who got sick in varying levels(from just feeling bad to heaving the entire night) which is about 50% of the people that went up there.

I'm really suprised that i didn't get it (knock on wood) because I went to the Engineering school (ate and drank), the team social (ate and drank) and i was in a room friday night with 3 people who were sick. I guess i just got lucky.

Re: So, who likes tacos?
 

About 13 out of 25 HS students on team 1002 were infected, with varying degrees of severity. I'm pretty sure I got the worst of it......I still havent eaten any solid food (been living off of ginger ale and such)

Also, several of our College mentors got sick as well as a couple of our adult chaperones/volunteers.

It was definately a virus (not food poisioning), and we ended up spraying nearly everything with lysol, and having eveyrone use hand cleaner. We had a "sick" portion of the bus and a well portion of the bus on the way back - not very pleasant on a bumpy 8+ hour trip back.

From what I've heard, it has a 12 hour incubation period (you dont start to feel any symptoms until at least 12 hours after you're infected), and you are contageous for up to 3 weeks after getting it. So, reminder to everyone, ALWAYS wash your hands well at robotics competitions! Keep in mind that several teams attend multiple regionals, and someone you see later on in the competition season could have been at VCU.

My sympathies go out to all who catch this virus, it is......aweful. Does anyone have a copy of the letter that was sent home with each team explaining the details of the virus, how to prevent catching it, etc, and could you post it here? I think it would be beneficial to do so.

Re: So, who likes tacos?
 

6 people from 122 got sick (including one of the teachers and the bus driver!). 2 started getting sick Saturay morning, and the number may well have increased after I left. There was another team staying at the Fairfield Inn with us, many of whom were sick -- I can't remember what team number, but I think the number of students sick was something like 9 out of 10 (now, this was during the weary hours just past midnight on Friday as I was somewhat married to the bathroom, so I hope the team will forgive me for not remembering their number ;)). I am somewhat suprised that the doctor in the emergency room diagnosed it as food poisioning, even giving us a prescription for it -- though from the level of attention and care he gave us in the empty hospital at around 2 am I can certainly understand how he made a mistake! This is the first I've heard of a letter ... I'd be interested to hear an account of what happened on Saturday -- how did all of this affect the other teams, was there any mention of it, etc.?

I was ill, and the stomach pain was so bad I left Saturday morning with my girlfriend to go home. Possibly because I have an old car with a shot suspension, I was in great pain after two hours and stoped at a hospital because of it. They gave me several bags of fluid and a percoset and I slept thought the night. I was able to keep fluid down today so they let me go home about 2pm.

I am now doing much better, still just on clear liquids though.

CDC FAQ Sheet

Wetzel