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170 Yosemite visitors, employees sickened by norovirus-like symptoms

Dozens of visitors and employees at Yosemite Valley took something home they didn’t want to -- a virus.

Park officials said about 170 people have come down with a gastrointestinal illness and two of them are confirmed to have norovirus, CBS News reported.

“The overwhelming majority of the reported cases are consistent with norovirus,” a statement released by the park said, according to NBC News.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms include:

  • Stomach pain
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea

It started around the first week of January and has continued, and it’s not just hitting visitors to the national park. People who have visited the Yosemite Valley where hotels, shops and the park’s infrastructure operates out of, are coming down with the illness, The Washington Post reported.

Anyone who visited the national park recently and who has been feeling ill is being told to email the park superintendent.

There are steps you can take to prevent norovirus, according to the CDC. They include:

  • Washing hands often
  • Rinsing fruits and vegetables
  • Cooking shellfish thoroughly
  • Staying home when sick and for two days after symptoms stop
  • Don’t prepare foods for people when sick or contagious