30 tourists in Canada down with norovirus

WHISTLER, British Columbia, June 3 (UPI) -- Some 30 tourists were quarantined with cases of intestinal norovirus in Canada's western ski resort town of Whistler, British Columbia, health officials said.

The group was booked through an Australian tour company and all began experiencing nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain at their hotel on Monday, The Province newspaper in Vancouver said.

Local health officials urged them to stay in their rooms until they felt better, and hotel staff said many spent Monday ordering toast and ginger ale.

By Tuesday, all but two had rejoined their tour group, the newspaper said.

The virus, also called the Norwalk virus, is usually spread among groups of people and transmitted by fecally contaminated food or water and person-to-person contact.

Two weeks ago, another group of tourists in Whistler on the same itinerary but with a different tour company were stricken with the infection, the newspaper said.