Several Easter hikers fall ill at Norwegian mountain cabins

Several Easter holidaymakers have fallen ill with vomiting and stomach issues at Norwegian Trekking Association (DNT) cabins in the Skarveheimen mountain area, with two requiring evacuation by the Red Cross, Dagbladet reports.

The outbreak affected five to six people staying at DNT cabins in Skarveheimen, a high-mountain region connecting Jotunheimen and Hardangervidda. Symptoms resembled gastroenteritis, according to Henning Hoff Wikborg, DNT’s managing director.

Two of the affected hikers were transported down from the mountains by the Red Cross after their condition made it unsafe to continue on foot. “When people experience vomiting, they are not able to hike out of the mountains independently. It simply wasn’t responsible to send them onward,” Wikborg told Dagbladet.

DNT implemented infection control measures after receiving the first reports on April 1, including isolating symptomatic individuals and reinforcing hygiene protocols. By Friday, the organisation confirmed no remaining cases at the cabins, which host around 400 overnight guests daily during the Easter period.

Wikborg dismissed concerns of a wider outbreak, such as norovirus, stating that a medical assessment found no evidence of the virus. “We have nothing indicating this is spreading like a viral outbreak,” he said. He urged hikers to maintain good hand hygiene and stay in their rooms if experiencing symptoms.

Despite the incident, DNT has no plans to restrict movement between cabins. “Today, there is no illness at the cabins,” Wikborg confirmed.