The highly contagious norovirus is suspected to be the culprit after about two-dozen high school hockey players suddenly became violently ill, officials in Michigan said Monday.
The players, all male, played in a championship game Sunday night at the Taylor Sportsplex in Taylor — 18 miles southwest of Detroit — when they suddenly became ill and were forced to leave the ice, The Detroit News reported.
The Sportsplex was evacuated as the players, suffering from vomiting and diarrhea, were treated by emergency crews. Several of the players were taken to local hospitals by their parents, and one was transported by ambulance.
Taylor Fire Department Chief Robert Tompos said investigators from the Wayne County Department of Health believe norovirus was responsible for making the players ill, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Norovirus is a highly contagious infection that causes diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and stomach cramps.
It is typically passed through direct contact with an infected person, eating or drinking contaminated food and liquid, or by touching contaminated surfaces then placing hands or fingers in the mouth.
Results of tests to rule out water contamination as the cause of the outbreak were expected Tuesday, Tompos said.
The Taylor Sportsplex will be closed until a cleaning is completed by a local company and inspected by the Wayne County Department of Health, according to the Detroit Free Press.
