Spread of illness easing at Durham retirement community

Croasdaile Village Retirement Community Executive Director Howard DeWitt said that staff first noticed multiple residents with nausea, vomiting and diarrhea on Thursday morning. They called the Durham Health Department, which moved to contain the outbreak.

By Saturday, as many as 80 people per day were reporting symptoms, DeWitt said. Almost 200 residents and staff got sick in all. About five new cases were reported on Monday, DeWitt said, noting that none of the cases of illness was life-threatening.

While people recover, access to the community is restricted, and the staff is trying keep residents separated, suspending communal activities such as meals and worship. Most people were recovering within 48 hours, said Gayle Harris, director of the Durham County Health Department.

Harris said her department has not determined exactly what hit Croasdaile or where the illness originated.

Dewitt said the outbreak is the first of its kind for Croasdaile Village in 11 years of operation.

The retirement community has approximately 630 residents and 300 employees. It offers individual-living, assisted-living and skilled-nursing facilities.