Definition for Norwalk virus
From Biology Forums Dictionary
Norwalk virus was known as norovirus or winter vomiting virus, which was originally named after Norwalk, Ohio, in the United States, where an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis occurred among children at Bronson Elementary School in November 1968. The name was shortened to "norovirus" after being identified in a number of outbreaks on cruise ships and the name "norovirus" (Norovirus for the genus) was approved by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) in 2002. But a press release at the IUMS (International Union of Microbiological Societies) 2011 congress and a newsletter was published by ICTV in 2011, which strongly encourage the media, national health authorities and the scientific community to use the virus name “Norwalk virus”, rather than the genus name “Norovirus,” when referring to outbreaks of the disease.