The University of Kansas Hospital Marillac Campus says 18 people may have norovirus at its campus, according to a news release sent Thursday night.
Up to 10 patients along with eight staff have come down with nausea, vomiting and diarrhea over the last few days, according to the hospital. There is no confirmation of the type of illness at this time, but the Kansas Department of Health and Environment has advised the hospital to treat it as a norovirus, even without any laboratory analysis.
Staff immediately began bleach-cleaning as soon as the symptoms surfaced, according to the hospital. The news release said additional outside cleaning experts will begin their procedures on site Thursday evening. Infection control procedures involving constant cleaning and hand sanitizing are also underway.
According to the news release, the University of Kansas Hospital Marillac Campus focuses on inpatient pediatric behavioral health services. Dennis McCulloch, spokesman for the University of Kansas Hospital, said parents whose kids were not sick were allowed to discharge them from the hospital and take them home. The sick kids are being quarantined, he said.
The Marillac Campus also will not accept additional inpatients until the situation is resolved, the hospital stated.
Marillac's inpatient facility became part of The University of Kansas Health System in 2015.
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