\nGatherings with family and friends, drinks and feasts \u2013 the holidays can be merry and bright and also bring heightened risk of contracting norovirus, sometimes called the “winter vomiting disease” and the “stomach bug.”<\/p>\n
Norovirus is the most common cause of gastrointestinal illness, typically infecting 1 in 15 Americans each year, according to the\u00a0National Foundation for Infectious Diseases<\/a>. Norovirus cases have been rising nationwide<\/a> since mid-October, and in South Jersey,\u00a0Camden County officials recently reported<\/a> an “unusual increase” in norovirus among children.<\/p>\n MORE:\u00a0Feeding kids with food allergies can be expensive. So CHOP opened a pantry to help families access allergen-free staples<\/a><\/p>\n The vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramps that are hallmarks of norovirus often hit people suddenly. Other symptoms may include headache, fever and body aches.<\/p>\n “People who’ve had it a lot of time will just sleep on the floor of the bathroom because they’re going a lot,” Melissa Jones, a virologist and an assistant professor of microbiology and cell science at the University of Florida, told Scientific American<\/a> in 2023. “It’s pretty miserable. Most people recover but are pretty dehydrated for a couple days.”<\/p>\n How norovirus spreads<\/p>\n \nNorovirus is highly contagious and the leading cause of foodborne illnesses in the United States. It typically spreads through contact with fecal matter and vomit, the CDC<\/a>\u00a0says.<\/p>\n “The common way of getting norovirus is eating it,” Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious diseases physician at UCSF Health in San Francisco recently told the New York Times<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n \nNorovirus can infect people year after year, because the body does not develop immunity against it, and the virus appears in many different types, the CDC<\/a>\u00a0says.<\/p>\n \nDespite the notion that norovirus ravages cruise ships, they account for only about 1% of total outbreaks. Health care facilities, schools, daycares, restaurants and other communal settings can be breeding grounds for norovirus, the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases says.\n<\/p>\n How to treat norovirus<\/p>\n \nAntibiotics are ineffective against the gastrointestinal illness, because it is a virus. Though norovirus usually goes away in about three days, it can leave people severely dehydrated, especially children under 5 and older adults, the CDC says.\n<\/p>\n \nDrinking plenty of water and other fluids that do not contain alcohol and caffeine can help protect against dehydration.\u00a0Decreased urination, dry mouth, dizziness and other symptoms are signs of dehydration and may require medical attention and intravenous fluids.<\/p>\n How to prevent norovirus<\/p>\n The best protection against norovirus is washing your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water before and after eating and handling food, after using the bathroom or changing a diaper and before dispensing medicine, health experts\u00a0say<\/a>.<\/p>\n But norovirus germs can stay on kitchen counters, bathroom sinks and other surfaces for up to two weeks, and most disinfecting wipes and alcohol-based hand sanitizers do not get rid of it, the Cleveland Clinic<\/a>\u00a0says.<\/p>\n