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Vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain: General practitioners are noticing an increase in gastrointestinal infections this time compared to this time of last year. How can you protect yourself?
Norovirus is the official name for a group of viruses that cause the stomach flu. Healthcare and childcare facilities are particularly susceptible to these viruses due to the ease of transmission, the small amount of infective material needed to spread the disease, the short incubation period, and the fact that the virus can live in the environment for a long time unless adequately cleaned.
“Diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and stomach pain are the most common symptoms of norovirus,” said Lt. Col. Simeon Smith, European Regional Army Public Health Nursing Senior Nurse Executive at Public Health Command Europe. “Other symptoms may include fever, headache, and body aches.”
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control the greatest health risk from norovirus is severe dehydration, especially in young children, the elderly, and people with other illnesses.
Symptoms of severe dehydration include decreased urination or very dark urine, rapid breathing, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, lack of energy and fainting. Parents of children in diapers may notice a decrease in the number of wet diapers, although this may be hard to notice with frequent diarrhea.
Currently, there is not specific medicine to treat people with norovirus illness. However, there are things individuals can do when they start to experience symptoms of norovirus.
According to Smith, it is recommended to drink plenty of fluid to replace fluid lost from vomiting and diarrhea to prevent dehydration.
“Dehydration can lead to serious problems and severe dehydration could require hospitalization for treatment with fluids through your veins,” said Smith. “Keep in mind to drink water-based beverages, flavored ones are fine but without caffeine and alcohol.”
Because norovirus is more persistent than other viral causes of gastrointestinal infections, Public Health Command Europe officials recommend staying home from work or school for at least 48 hours following any episode of vomiting or diarrhea to prevent the spread of the infection.
There is no vaccine to prevent norovirus and because antibiotics fight bacterial infections, not viruses, they are ineffective in treating the illness, according to the CDC.
People can become infected after consuming foods or liquids contaminated with norovirus, having direct contact with an infected individual or touching surfaces containing the virus. Symptoms can appear as early as twelve hours after exposure to norovirus, according to the CDC.
5 tips to prevent norovirus from spreading:
- Practice proper hand hygiene — use soap and water as alcohol-based hand sanitizers alone do not kill norovirus
- Wash fruits and vegetables and cook seafood thoroughly
- When you are sick, do not prepare food or care for others
- Clean and disinfect contaminated surfaces
- Wash laundry thoroughly
