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© CBS
Four Colorado prisons have canceled or restricted inmate visitation of family and friends in Denver, Cañon City and Pueblo because of virus outbreaks that have sickened 244 inmates, authorities said Friday.

None of the men or women, who are experiencing flulike symptoms including vomiting, diarrhea and nausea, have gotten sick enough to be hospitalized, said Adrienne Jacobson, spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Corrections.

State health workers have been collecting stool samples at the four prisons, but only one inmate at Territorial Correctional Facility has tested positive for norovirus, Jacobson said. Territorial, where 75 inmates have been ill the past week, will have restricted visitation hours through the holiday weekend.

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© Andy Cross, The Denver PostColorado Department of Corrections Correctional Officer, David Aldana, walks along the third level of cell house No. 8 at the Fremont Correctional Facility during a formal count at the prison in Canon City
The spread of the virus is not considered atypical of outbreaks that happen at schools or businesses.

"It's a lot of offenders," Jacobson said. "But nobody is seriously ill, and the outbreaks will run their course."

Inmates are vulnerable because they live in close quarters, she said. By the time infected inmates realize they are sick, they may spread the virus to other prisoners in the cafeteria, Jacobson said.

Inmate visitations are canceled indefinitely at Denver Women's Correctional Facility, La Vista Correctional Facility and Fremont Correctional Facility in Cañon City.

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment workers have made recommendations to stem the outbreaks, including the use of a different type of disinfectant, Jacobson said.

The largest virus outbreak is at the Denver women's prison, where 149 women, or 17 percent of the prison's 900 inmates, are ill. These women and an additional 80 offenders not yet sick - mostly cellmates of ill women - have been isolated to stem the spread of the virus.

Fourteen women at La Vista are ill and another 16 inmates have also been isolated. The prison holds a small percentage of male inmates, but only women have been affected so far. At Fremont, six men are ill and another six have been isolated.

The quarantined inmates are not allowed to leave their cellblocks to go to the prison cafeteria, the yard or to other programs. Nurses and health aides are performing health checks twice a day for all of the sick inmates, Jacobson said.