A team of experts launched an investigation Monday into the mysterious deaths of seven elderly people hit by diarrhea and vomiting at a nursing home in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture, between the end of last year and the beginning of this year.
The move comes as cases of diarrhea have been reported from nursing homes in a total of nine prefectures. As of Monday, more than 420 people had developed symptoms, health officials said.
Officials in Fukuyama announced Sunday that they had detected the contagious Noro virus in the feces of nine of the residents at Fukuyama Fukujuen nursing home. Its symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea and fever.