Gazette-Times reporter

A norovirus outbreak - which has now sickened seven people - has been confirmed on the Oregon State University campus, and has been conclusively linked to the Slice of Woodstock's pizza kiosk in the Memorial Union, the Benton County Health Department said Friday.

"All seven people reported eating salad there," said Bill Emminger, deputy administrator of the Health Department's environmental health division.

Four clinical samples have been tested so far and all four tested positive for norovirus. One of those came from a worker at the pizza kiosk.

A call to the office of business owner Carol Lee Woodstock late Friday afternoon wasn't returned immediately.

Woodstock's Pizza restaurant on Kings Boulevard, another part of the business, wasn't tied to the outbreak.

The seventh person became ill Friday, but the sickness still appears linked to the other cases, Emminger said.

Norovirus typically is spread through fecal to oral contact.

According to the Health Department, steps to prevent norovirus include: washing hands for 20 seconds before handling food; avoiding bare hand contact with ready-to-eat foods such as salads or sandwiches; using tongs, ladles, spatulas or wearing disposable nonlatex gloves when handling ready-to-eat items; changing gloves often and washing hands in between sets; and ensuring that food workers stay home if they are ill with symptoms such as nausea, vomiting or diarrhea, and keeping them home for 72 hours after symptoms lessen.

Statewide, the number of norovirus outbreaks has soared in recent years, going from 17 in 2000 to 134 in 2007, when 3,000 people were sickened.

In some cases, norovirus can cause severe dehydration that requires special medical attention.

Kyle Odegard can be contacted at kyle.odegard@lee.net or 758-9523.