The Norovirus
cruiseship virus
What is the Norovirus?
Any of various single-stranded RNA viruses comprising the Norwalk virus, which can cause acute gastroenteritis in humans.
Disease Course: You can get this disease from anyone who is infected, contaminated food/ water, or touching contaminated surfaces. Example: sharing the same utensils with an infected person or eating food / drinking water that has been contaminated
Relative Frequency: Causes 19-21 million cases of an inflamed stomach and/ or intestine. 400,000 emergency visits ( mainly children), 56,000-71,000 hospitalizations and 570-800 deaths. It is also the most common cause of foodborne- disease outbreaks in the U.S.
Season: Most common in the winter
Diagnosis
Target Audience: Very serious for young children and older adults
To find out if you have the Norovirus , you can get an EIA test. This test can detect the virus through a stool sample.
Symptoms includes: Diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, stomach pain.
Prevention: Practice good hand washing and general cleanliness
Treatment: There is no specific medicine; can't be treated with antibiotics because it is not a bacterial infection-viral