One hundred and seventy-six scouts that were staying at the Úlfljótsvatn Scout Center by Úlfljótsvatn in South Iceland are now in a relief center set up at the nearby Hveragerði Primary School due to a stomach virus, RÚV reports. Sixty-two cases of illness have been confirmed. The first cases arose around noon yesterday. A doctor was called to the scene around 9 pm yesterday evening.
The scouts are American and British and between the ages of 10-25. “The first cases came up around noon yesterday. Then there was one case after another,” stated Hermann Sigurðarson, director of the Iceland Scout Association. By 5 pm there were five or six cases and a doctor was contacted. “Then it gradually increased. At 9 pm a response system was put in place.” It is believed that the illness is caused by a norovirus.
According to Hermann, a few cases of a similar illness appeared at the World Scout Moot in Iceland earlier this summer and were attended to by doctors and nurses who were present on location.
A meeting began at 10 am today between representatives of the scouts, health authorities, disaster relief authorities, and others to discuss next steps.
