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Stuffy noses and bothersome coughs aren’t the only winter illness symptoms making the rounds right now. Lots of 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 is our most common cause of vomiting and diarrhea, and actually food-borne illness in the United States,” said Dr. Brintha Vasagar, a family physician in Wisconsin.
Those are the two most common symptoms, but fever, body aches and stomachaches are sometimes reported, too.
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We typically experience higher rates of norovirus “from November to April, so we’re still pretty early in this season,” Vasagar added.
Norovirus cases are currently elevated, but a little lower than where they were by this time last year, said Dr. Camile Gooden, an internal medicine physician at NYU Langone Hospital—Suffolk in New York. However, “Recently, there has been a surge in norovirus … we’re seeing more positive testing,” Gooden added. This is due to a new strain of the virus.
The virus spreads easily and in different ways than other winter viruses. Here’s what to know:
Norovirus spreads through vomit and fecal particles.
While common winter illnesses such as the flu and COVID-19 spread through coughs and sneezes, norovirus spreads differently.
“Traditionally, it’s [spread through] what we call the fecal-oral route, so stool to mouth, but it’s a pretty darn resilient virus, so it’s not like you’re licking other people’s poop,” said Dr. Ross Newman, a pediatrician based in Oregon and a medical communicator on social media.
Instead, contaminated particles end up on people’s hands or surfaces they touch — and can sometimes even spread through the air, he explained.
If someone who has norovirus doesn’t wash their hands well after using the bathroom and then uses a towel to dry their hands, that towel can then become a carrier. Then, if a non-infected person uses that towel to dry their hands, they could pick up the virus.
“It can exist on surfaces for long periods of time … it can be on blankets, gloves, clothing, hair, skin … or it can just be from filthy hands,” Newman added.
Contaminated surfaces can become a “source of spread,” added Gooden, which is how norovirus commonly rips through places with long-term care settings, day cares and cruise ships — all spaces where people are in close quarters and touching the same door handles, tables, light switches and toys.
It can also spread through food.
Norovirus can also spread through contaminated food, according to Gooden. “If you eat food that has not been washed properly and is contaminated, you could also get ill,” noted Gooden.
This could be from a sick person preparing the food or even from contaminated raw produce, she said.
“You want to make sure that when you are consuming raw vegetables and raw fruits, that those have been washed appropriately because sometimes, even on farms, there might be exposure through irrigation systems to norovirus,” Gooden said.
You don’t need any fancy produce soaps, instead washing produce well with water is enough to kill the virus, Gooden said.
Norovirus can also spread through shellfish that becomes contaminated by infected water. In this case, fully cooking shellfish can kill the virus, according to Vasagar.
Hand sanitizer doesn’t kill norovirus, which makes 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 have come in contact with someone who is ill with norovirus,” Gooden said.
A quick hand rinse isn’t good enough; use hot water and soap, and wash your hands for “the full Happy Birthday song, twice,” Vasagar stressed. “Most people don’t wash their hands long enough to really be effective.”
Beyond hand-washing, disinfecting surfaces with bleach-based cleansers and washing linens frequently can kill the virus, Vasagar noted. This is especially important if someone in your home is sick.
“The spread is … so contagious that you’re really going to have to work hard to make sure everyone else in the family doesn’t get it,” Vasagar said.
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If you get sick, stay home, hydrate and monitor for severe symptoms.
“The vomiting associated with norovirus is generally short-lived, 24 to 48 hours, but the diarrhea can last two weeks,” Newman said.
People are most contagious the first one or two days after their symptoms start, but they can shed the virus for weeks after that point, Newman added.
If you get sick, stay home (and keep sick kids home) if you’re able, all 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, get to a doctor.
To combat dehydration, drink plenty of fluids, whether that’s water, tea, Gatorade or soup, Gooden noted. Even if you’re 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 beyond 72 hours, usually, that’s a time that I would advise to reach out to your health care professional.”
If you have fevers, severe abdominal pain or develop blood in your stool, you should seek medical attention, Gooden added.