I don’t watch American Idol; I saw enough of Steven Tyler performing half-time at the Super Bowl. But I pay attention when my health-type friends tell me, the contestants on American Idol this week suffered from Idol Flu, with many gratuitous vomit shots, lots of hugging and no handwashing in sight.

Amy (Tent Girl) Brumfield earned a new nickname -- Patient Zero. She brought a stomach bug to Hollywood with her, and, soon, practically every group has to carry their own plastic bag with them, just in case somebody loses their dinner.

A few of the more promising singers -- Johnny Keyser, David Leathers Jr. and Deandre Brackensick -- looked like they've got their acts together. But this Group Night show featured as much drama, and as much retching, as it did actual singing.

Maybe it was norovirus; maybe the barfing contestants were forced to watch their own show.

Barf happens, and the newly converted are quick to cite lessons learned, but the challenge remains – how to get people to pay attention before the outbreak happens?

The Vancouver Sun reports the final two dozen university conference delegates left Victoria on Tuesday after days of battling a painful norovirus outbreak that is believed to have infected about 75 people.

About 370 delegates arrived in the city for a national Canadian University Press conference on Jan. 11.

The journalism convention quickly made national headlines on Sunday morning after the virus rapidly spread throughout the Harbour Towers Hotel and Suites where they all stayed.

Those who were not infected — and some who were — made their way home Sunday, while the rest stayed an extra night or two waiting for their symptoms of vomiting, severe stomach pains and diarrhea to pass.

A shuttle bus took about 13 delegates to the Victoria Airport Tuesday morning with another five or six following them in the afternoon, according to university press staff.

Some students were reporting getting sick during their travels home and some even after they arrived. But with the worst behind them, delegates got back to classes and work.

“If anything, this entire conference, this entire situation, has been a lesson for us in terms of crisis communication,” said Emma Godmere, the CUP national bureau chief, who became a co-ordinator of all communication as information was sent out via Twitter.

Health officials are testing stool samples from runners in the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in Las Vegas who say water passed out during the race made them sick.

Southern Nevada Health District officials are testing for stomach flu and other diseases, and expect results later this week. An online survey they've posted has already drawn responses from more than 800 participants.

The Dec. 4 event drew about 44,000 participants, who paid up to $179 to run a half or full marathon. Dozens of runners posted stories on Facebook about nausea, vomiting and severe stomach pain after the race.

Race organizers had filled plastic-lined garbage cans with hydrant water, which was used to fill cups offered to racers along the course - a standard practice, marathon officials say. Volunteers wearing plastic gloves dipped cups into the garbage cans before passing the water to runners.

While some runners complained that the water tasted odd or unclean, Las Vegas Valley Water District officials say the hydrant water was tested and found to be safe days before the race.

 A container of vomit was found on a shelf at an East Bluff quicky mart in Illinois.

The Peoria City/County Health Department noted in an Oct. 10 report, "A carton containing human vomit was stored on a crate by a display cooler."

Wil Hayes, the department's director of environmental health, said, "We see all sorts of weird stuff. We haven't run into vomit in a while."

Following his schnozz, the sanitarian spotted a plastic bucket filled with throw-up, near a cooler.

"It wasn't in the kitchen area," Hayes said. "But that doesn't make it any less disgusting."

The owner came in and said a child had vomited. The sanitarian wasn't impressed by the explanation. He told the owner to remove the puke bucket.

But owner Joseph Sleh told me that he was a victim of circumstance and timing.

A kid had come into the business just before the sanItarian, then threw up on the floor, Sleh said. Sleh cleaned it up by scooping the vomit into a cardboard box, then put it down by the cooler.

Why not get rid of it? Why set it out inside the store?

"I was here by myself," Sleh said. "I couldn't go take it outside (to the Dumpster)."

There's no place else to throw it away, inside?

"No."

Years ago, at another business, the department found a similar situation: a container of vomit on a shelf.

"An employee had gotten sick the day before, and went home. Everyone thought he'd thrown it out before he left."