Every year, there’s a surge in norovirus cases between November and April, and this holiday season is no different.
Sometimes known as the stomach bug, norovirus is incredibly contagious, infecting about one in 15 people in the United States annually.
Norovirus is also notorious for infecting people year after year, since the body doesn’t develop long-lasting immunity, said Dr. Sharon Nachman, the chief of pediatric infectious disease at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital on Long Island. A new norovirus strain also took hold in the United States last year and has continued to circulate, leaving more people vulnerable than usual.
As influenza and respiratory syncytial virus also swirl around this winter, keep your guard up so that you don’t have to deal with back-to-back infections.
“When I hear people saying, I’ve been sick for a month,” Dr. Nachman said, “you probably have had three different illnesses.”
How does norovirus spread?
“The common way of getting norovirus is eating it,” said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious diseases physician at the UCSF Health. It is the No. 1 cause of food-borne illness in the United States.
The virus spreads through contact with tiny particles of feces or vomit. It can get onto produce and shellfish through contaminated water, or onto other food handled or prepared by someone who’s sick.
Norovirus can linger on objects and surfaces for two weeks, spread by touch and the fine spray from vomiting. Others can pick up norovirus from doorknobs, faucets and countertops and then inadvertently ingest it, Dr. Chin-Hong said.
It’s why norovirus outbreaks are most common in close quarters, like day cares, schools, nursing homes and cruise ships.
What are the symptoms?
The virus has a short fuse: Most people fall ill within 12 to 48 hours of being exposed.
Vomiting and diarrhea are the hallmark symptoms, but they’re often accompanied by belly pain and fatigue. Sneezing and coughing usually point to something else, Dr. Nachman said, like a respiratory virus.
Most people get better on their own — usually within three days — although it can take a while to regain your energy, said Dr. Bernard Camins, the medical director of infection prevention of the Mount Sinai Health System.
Given the vomiting and diarrhea, the biggest risk with norovirus is dehydration, which can turn a short-term illness into a medical emergency. Children under 5 and older adults are particularly susceptible, with dehydrated children becoming fussy or hard to rouse, while older adults may grow dizzy and confused.
Although deaths are rare, norovirus kills about 900 Americans every year, most of them over 65.
Talk to your doctor if you haven’t been able to keep liquids down for 12 hours, or if you’re not urinating, Dr. Nachman said. Vomiting can also prevent you from taking essential medications, she added, so if you throw up within 30 minutes of taking a dose, speak with your physician.
And if the vomiting and diarrhea last more than three days or if you have blood in the stool, seek medical care.
What precautions can you take?
Regularly washing your hands with soap and water is the best thing you can do to protect yourself against norovirus, Dr. Camins said. Hand sanitizer is not really effective against this virus.
You should also regularly clean bathrooms and high-touch areas with a diluted bleach solution, Dr. Camins added, particularly if someone at home is sick, or if norovirus is going around at your school or workplace.
Other basic precautions include washing produce, cooking oysters and other shellfish and refraining from touching your face.
What should you do if you’re sick?
There is no treatment for norovirus. Stay home, rest and drink plenty of fluids. In addition to water, try ice chips, clear broth and electrolyte drinks. For young children, it might be worth using a measuring cup to give them an ounce of liquid an hour, Dr. Nachman said, since small amounts are easy to keep down but enough to stay hydrated.
If you feel like eating, try small meals. The BRAT diet — bananas, rice, applesauce and toast — is a good rule of thumb, but most bland, low-fat foods are safe choices, Dr. Chin-Hong said.
If you or a loved one needs to clean up vomit or diarrhea, wear gloves, disinfect thoroughly and wash soiled clothes or linens on the hottest cycle available, he added.
And because norovirus is so infectious, don’t prepare food or care for others for at least two days after your symptoms cease.
Simar Bajaj covers health and wellness.
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