A stuffy nose and a nagging cough aren’t the only symptoms of winter sickness doing the rounds right now. Many people are also getting sick with norovirus, an unpleasant stomach bug. The highly contagious virus is on the rise in many states across the country.
What is norovirus? “It’s our most common cause of vomiting and diarrhea, and actually foodborne illness in the United States,” said Dr. Brintha Vasagar, a family physician in Wisconsin.
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Those are the two most common symptoms, but sometimes fever, body aches and stomach aches are also reported.
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We typically experience higher rates of norovirus “from November to April, so we’re still pretty early in the season,” Vasagar added.
Norovirus cases are currently elevated, but slightly below where they were at this time last year, said Dr. Camile Gooden, an internal medicine physician at NYU Langone—Suffolk Hospital in New York. However, “Recently, there’s been a surge in norovirus … we’re seeing more positive tests,” Gooden added. This is due to a new strain of the virus.
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The virus spreads easily and in different ways than other winter viruses. Here’s what you need to know:
Norovirus is spread through vomit and feces particles.
While common winter illnesses like the flu and COVID-19 are spread through coughing and sneezing, norovirus spreads in a different way.
“Traditionally, it is [spread through] what we call the poop-mouth route, so the stool to the mouth, but it’s a pretty resilient virus, so it’s not like you’re licking other people’s poop,” said Dr. Ross Newman, an Oregon-based pediatrician and medical communicator on social media.
Instead, contaminated particles end up on people’s hands or the surfaces they touch — and can sometimes even become airborne, he explained.
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If someone who has norovirus does not wash their hands properly after using the bathroom and then uses a towel to dry their hands, that towel can then become a carrier. Then, if an uninfected person uses that towel to dry their hands, they can pick up the virus.
“It can exist on surfaces for long periods of time … it can be on blankets, gloves, clothes, hair, skin … or it can just be from dirty hands,” Newman added.
Contaminated surfaces can become a “source of spread,” Gooden added, which is how norovirus commonly infects long-term care settings, day cares and cruise ships — all spaces where people are in close quarters and touch the same doorknobs, tables, light switches and toys.
It can also be spread through food.
Norovirus can also be spread through contaminated food, according to Gooden. “If you eat food that has not been properly washed and that is contaminated, you can also get sick,” noted Gooden.
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This could be from a sick person preparing the food or even from a contaminated raw product, she said.
“You want to make sure that when you’re consuming raw vegetables and raw fruits, that they’ve been washed properly because sometimes, even on farms, there can be exposure through irrigation systems to norovirus,” Gooden said.
You don’t need any fancy product soaps, instead washing the products with water is enough to kill the virus, Gooden said.
Norovirus can also spread through shellfish that is contaminated by infected water. In this case, fully cooking seafood can kill the virus, according to Vasagar.
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Hand sanitizer does not kill norovirus, making proper hand washing crucial for prevention.
“The best way to protect yourself is really to perform good hand washing – and you have to use soap and water. You can’t rely on hand sanitizers necessarily, especially if you’ve touched contaminated surfaces or been in contact with someone who is sick with norovirus,” Gooden said.
A quick hand rinse is not good enough; use warm water and soap, and wash your hands for “the entire Happy Birthday song, twice,” Vasagar stressed. “Most people don’t wash their hands enough to be really effective.”
Beyond handwashing, disinfecting surfaces with bleach-based cleaners and washing linens can often kill the virus, Vasagar noted. This is especially important if someone in your household is sick.
“The spread is … so contagious that you’re really going to have to work hard to make sure that everyone in the family doesn’t get it,” Vasagar said.
Norovirus is the most common cause of vomiting and diarrhea. Grace Cary via Getty Images
If you get sick, stay home, hydrate and monitor for severe symptoms.
“Vomiting associated with norovirus is usually short-lived, 24 to 48 hours, but diarrhea can last two weeks,” Newman said.
People are most contagious the first day or two after their symptoms begin, but they can spread the virus for weeks after that point, Newman added.
If you get sick, stay home (and keep sick kids home) if you can, the three experts told HuffPost. Also watch out for dehydration, which is “the biggest concern with complications from most stomach bugs,” Newman said.
“You’re losing a lot of fluids with vomiting, a lot of fluids with diarrhea,” Vasagar said. Signs of dehydration include decreased urination, dizziness, dry mouth, and confusion and fatigue. If you notice any of these symptoms, talk to a doctor.
To combat dehydration, drink plenty of fluids, whether it’s water, tea, Gatorade or soup, Gooden noted. Even if you are throwing up, you should still drink small amounts of fluids.
“It’s really important to monitor for any development of severe symptoms,” Gooden said. “If your symptoms continue for more than 72 hours, generally, that’s a time I would advise you to contact your health care professional.”
If you have a fever, severe abdominal pain or develop blood in your stool, you should seek medical attention, Gooden added.
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