{"id":1408,"date":"2023-02-28T16:53:22","date_gmt":"2023-02-28T16:53:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/?p=1408"},"modified":"2023-02-28T16:53:22","modified_gmt":"2023-02-28T16:53:22","slug":"stomach-flu-outbreaks-are-climbing-in-the-u-s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/?p=1408","title":{"rendered":"Stomach Flu Outbreaks Are Climbing in the U.S."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The highly contagious norovirus is causing outbreaks of stomach flu<\/a> around the country, according to the latest report from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CDC surveillance data reported 225 norovirus outbreaks<\/a> from August 2022 to January 2023, about 30 percent higher than the 172 outbreaks reported during the same period the year before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An \u201coutbreak\u201d isn\u2019t a specific number of people; instead, it\u2019s defined as a higher than normally expected number of cases occurring in a community, geographical area, or season, according to the World Health Organization (WHO)<\/a>. For example, if a cluster of children in the same class are all absent from school due to a gastrointestinal<\/a> illness and it turns out they all have the same infectious disease, that\u2019s an outbreak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a typical year, norovirus causes between 19 and 21 million cases of vomiting and diarrhea illnesses, 109,000 hospitalizations, and 900 deaths in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Year\u2019s Norovirus Season Back to Pre-COVID Levels<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Despite the current rise of norovirus cases, the number of outbreaks so far this year is within the range reported during the same periods from 2012 to 2020. As with other infectious diseases, such as the flu, cases of norovirus were lower than usual during the pandemic, and now they\u2019re back to their pre-COVID levels, says Amesh Adalja, MD<\/a>, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in Baltimore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year is following the typical pattern, he says. \u201cNorovirus traditionally has a season from November to April, and we are in the midst of it now,\u201d says Dr. Adalja.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Winter Vomiting Disease\u2019 Is Upon Us<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is the time of year that we expect to see a substantial rise in norovirus infection, agrees Paul Pottinger, MD<\/a>, professor in the division of allergy and infectious diseases at UW Medicine in Seattle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn fact, in the old days, it was called \u2018winter vomiting disease.\u2019 The seasonal increase in transmission probably relates to crowding of people together inside, where we are more likely to come into contact with each other, and with objects we have touched,\u201d says Dr. Pottinger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On top of that, the germ that causes norovirus is notoriously hardy and is not reliably inactivated by hand sanitizer. That\u2019s why it\u2019s so easily transmitted when people are crowded together, such as on cruise ships, he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Norovirus Can Spread Via Contaminated Food or Water and From Person to Person<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnyone can catch this virus. It is highly contagious,\u201d says Adalja. Infection occurs when you accidentally get tiny particles of feces or vomit<\/a> from an infected person in your mouth, according to the CDC<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People who are infected shed billions of microscopic norovirus particles and it only takes a few to make other people sick. That\u2019s why washing your hands frequently \u2014 especially after a trip to the bathroom \u2014 is key in the prevention of norovirus, says Pottinger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The virus most often spreads via food or water that is contaminated with norovirus or by touching contaminated surfaces or objects and then putting your fingers in your mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the United States, norovirus is the number one cause of illness and outbreaks from contaminated food, and most often occurs in restaurants, grocery stores with food bars, or other grab-and-go settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One way the virus can spread is if a person with norovirus touches food with bare hands that have feces or vomit particles on them. Food placed on a counter or surface that has feces or vomit particles can carry the norovirus, as can vegetables and fruit watered or harvested with contaminated water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s also transmissible from person to person through sharing food or eating utensils, or caring for and cleaning up after a person with norovirus. People with the virus are most contagious when they have symptoms \u2014 especially vomiting \u2014 and during the first few days of recovery. However, people can spread norovirus for up to two weeks after their symptoms have ended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can Norovirus Cause Hospitalization or Death?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Although norovirus can make even the healthiest person feel horrible, the infection and its symptoms usually go away within a few days. But complications can occur, and they are more common in the elderly and those prone to dehydration, says Adalja.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In severe cases, norovirus can cause serious dehydration and even death, according to Mayo Clinic<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Do You Know if GI Symptoms Are Due to Norovirus, Food Poisoning, or Even COVID-19?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Figuring out if you have food poisoning or norovirus is difficult, partly because \u201cfood poisoning\u201d is not a very scientific term but used informally, says Adalja.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCertain types of foodborne illnesses may occur immediately after eating \u2014 for example, S.aureus<\/em> toxin exposure \u2014 while norovirus has an incubation period of about a day. But for all intents and purposes, it is very difficult to distinguish any of these illnesses apart from each other, except for the prominence of vomiting with norovirus,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another difference is that food poisoning typically resolves after about a day, whereas norovirus symptoms can easily last up to five days and even longer in some cases, especially if people have reduced immune function, says Pottinger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People infected by norovirus should not mistake it for COVID-19<\/a>, either, says Pottinger. \u201cCOVID can have G.I. manifestations, but they should not be nearly as violent, severe, and debilitating as the vomiting, abdominal pain<\/a>, and diarrhea we see with norovirus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diagnosing and Treating Norovirus<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Right now, there\u2019s no home test available for norovirus, says Pottinger. \u201cHealthcare providers may choose to test patients if they have a reduced immune system, or if they fail to improve with supportive care, or remain sick beyond the expected duration of illness,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In general, however, norovirus is a clinical diagnosis that doctors make after talking to and examining a patient, he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no antiviral treatment for norovirus that is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, says Pottinger. Antibiotics will not help because they fight bacterial infections, not viruses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have norovirus, staying hydrated is key. Drink plenty of liquids to replace lost fluids and watch out for signs of dehydration<\/a>, per the CDC<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tips for Reducing Your Risk of Catching Norovirus<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The CDC<\/a> lists these tips for preventing norovirus:<\/p>\n\n\n\n