Vomiting Virus 2012 Outbreak, Thousands of German Kids Struck with Food Poisoning

Over 8,500 kids in Germany have a vomiting virus as an outbreak has spread in schools and daycare centers in recent days. Health officials believe it is from a food-borne virus, possibly from food served in cafeterias to the children.

Children with the vomiting and diarrhea virus were taken to numerous hospitals in the Berlin and surrounding East German states, but most cases were moderate and did not require hospitalization.

According to WebMD, noroviruses are sometimes called food poisoning, with symptoms including nausea, vomiting (mostly in children), diarrhea, and stomach cramps. Like most viruses, noroviruses don't require antibiotics. For healthy individuals, the symptoms should go away in a couple of days. It is important to remain hydrated, but to avoid sugary drinks which make diarrhea worse.

Robert Koch Institute, Germany's public health institute, said that all school and daycare facilities likely received food from the same supplier.

Originally, Huffington Post reported that 4,500 German children suffered from the virus, but later the number increased to over 8,500 cases.

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