Overland Park hospital has 18 cases of illness

A suburban Kansas City hospital has reported 18 cases of a gastrointestinal illness, and at least one of the cases has been preliminarily identified as norovirus.

The University of Kansas Hospital’s Marillac Campus this week reported 18 cases of a gastrointestinal illness, with 10 cases among patients and eight cases among staff. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Hospital spokesman Dennis McCulloch said in an email Saturday that tests preliminarily confirmed norovirus in at least one of the cases.

He says the hospital, which is Overland Park, has stopped taking new patients until the situation is resolved. Cleaning operations for norovirus began at the hospital when the symptoms appeared.

The hospital, which focuses on inpatient pediatric behavioral health services, became part of The University of Kansas Health System last year.