By ALISHA WYMAN

The Union Democrat

An outbreak of stomach virus that sparked quarantines at Sierra Conservation Center is ebbing.

At its height, 31 inmates were infected with norovirus, a bug that causes stomach cramps, fever, diarrhea and vomiting. The number sick stands now at 19, said Lt. Kevin Wise, an administrative assistant at SCC.

"I think we're going to be out of the woods here in the next week," Wise said.

Two inmates began showing flu-like symptoms the day after Christmas, he said. By the end of the week, 13 had come down with the virus.

Four dormitories containing inmates who are sick or those who live with them have been locked down, even during meal times. The prison has suspended all visits to inmates in quarantined areas.

Staff has been extra diligent in cleaning, including cleaning the bathrooms with bleach twice a day, disinfecting other areas and changing bed linens more often than usual, Wise said.

"It's helped," he said. "There's been a significant decrease in the amount of people coming down with it."

Inmates remain in quarantine until those who have been sick are well for a week.

Officials are unsure what the source of the virus was, he said.

Norovirus is usually passed through fecal to mouth transmission, by consumption of contaminated food or water or directly from person-to-person, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It usually takes about 24 to 48 hours after infection for symptoms to appear.

Inmates at two other prisons in California, including one in Tracy and one near Fresno, have had similar outbreaks.

About two years ago, norovirus also appeared at Sierra Conservation, infecting many more inmates, Wise said. He couldn't say how many.

"We sort of learned how to identify it early, how to isolate it and how to prevent it from spreading," he said.

Otherwise, the prison is operating normally for its roughly 4,000 inmates, Wise said.

Contact Alisha Wyman at awyman@uniondemocrat.com or 588-4527.