TBILISI, September 20 – Georgian health officials say norovirus was most likely responsible for a massive outbreak of stomach illness at public kindergartens in Tbilisi, with more than 100 children hospitalized.
Most of the children are now recovering, but investigators have yet to establish how the infection spread.
The National Center for Disease Control said Sunday that laboratory results pointed to norovirus as the likely cause of the great majority of cases. It stressed that testing was continuing and that no child had suffered serious or dangerous complications.
The outbreak began on Thursday, with children developing symptoms including vomiting, abdominal pain and fever. By Friday, authorities had reported illness among 55 children and one staff member at 20 kindergartens, and seven facilities had suspended activities. On Saturday, Health Minister Mikheil Sarjveladze said more than 100 children had required hospitalization, although none was considered at risk of serious complications.
Hospitals reported further improvement on Sunday. Eight children remained at Iashvili Children’s Central Hospital after six were discharged that day. Their conditions were stable. Another six children were receiving treatment at Tsitsishvili Children’s New Clinic, where six others were considered well enough to be discharged.
Despite norovirus now confirmed as the likely infectious agent behind the outbreak, it is still unclear how the virus spread to the children. Infectious disease specialist Maia Butsashvili said Sunday that the appearance of cases at 20 kindergartens at about the same time strongly suggested contaminated food. She called for urgent checks of food supplies and people involved in preparing and distributing meals. The health authorities have not identified a particular food product as the source.
On Saturday, Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze urged the public not to assume that food was responsible or rule it out before the investigation was complete. He said kindergarten suppliers must provide laboratory test reports for their products and promised action if the inquiry found mistakes by city authorities.
The Health Ministry said the state would cover the children’s medical bills and that parents should not be charged for treatment related to the outbreak.
