After a busy holiday season spent with friends and family, millions of Americans find themselves spending time in the bathroom at the start of the new year.
Stomach bugs have officially invaded town, and this year they’re especially bad.
Norovirus outbreak is at its highest level in 10 years. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nationally, there are 91 outbreaks and data reported in 14 states. CDC (New Jersey is not included) The week ending December 5th saw a 32% increase compared to the previous week. By comparison, figures from the past three years have seen up to 65 outbreaks reported in the first week of December.
“The number of norovirus cases reported this year is higher than in recent years and in years prior to the pandemic,” a CDC spokesperson said.
data from New Jersey Department of Health reflects a similar increase.
According to DOH, a total of 195 norovirus and norovirus-like outbreaks were reported in 2024, including 70 outbreaks reported in December 2024. In 2023, 189 outbreaks were reported.
The spread of infection may already be starting to come under control. The norovirus test positivity rate across the Northeast was 20% for the week ending Dec. 14, but fell to 12% by the end of the following week, according to CDC data. More recent data are not yet available.
Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that causes painful stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Doctors say symptoms develop rapidly within 12 to 48 hours after infection, so symptoms can appear out of nowhere.
The virus, sometimes referred to as the “stomach flu” or “stomach bug,” is unrelated to the flu but can also cause similar body aches, fever, and headaches, according to the CDC. is.
The virus causes excessive diarrhea and vomiting, which can lead to severe dehydration, especially in young children and older adults. Epidemics occur throughout the year, but are most common from November to April.
Reported norovirus outbreaks were highest between November and April between 2009 and 2017.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The virus usually spreads by what doctors call the “oral-fecal route.”
Dr. James Penn, a gastroenterologist at Hackensack Meridian Health’s JFK University Medical Center, said, “It’s usually transmitted through stool, and that stool touches your hands, and those hands touch your face or mouth. “I will.”
“Norovirus is a highly virulent virus, meaning it only takes exposure to a very small amount of virus to make you sick,” Penn said.
The virus can also be transmitted by droplets through vomit. It can also be easily transmitted from infected people (even those without symptoms) through contaminated food, water, or environmental surfaces.
The most severe symptoms usually last only 48 hours, but even if you feel better, you can still spread norovirus for two weeks or more, according to the CDC.
Cruise ships have also reported the highest levels of norovirus on board in more than a decade. Travelers from around the world congregating in crowded, semi-enclosed spaces can facilitate the spread of germs. There were 16 cases of stomach illness on cruise ships last year, the highest number since 2012, according to CDC data. According to the data, 13 of last year’s outbreaks were caused by norovirus.
According to the CDC, more than 90% of gastrointestinal illness outbreaks on cruise ships are caused by norovirus. Maritime Disease Database and Reporting System. From 2006 to 2019, there were an average of 12 norovirus outbreaks each year on international cruise ships calling at ports in the United States.
Stomach bugs can not only ruin your cruise, they can kill you. According to CDC data, norovirus infections kill about 900 Americans each year, most of them people 65 and older. They are also responsible for 465,000 emergency department visits each year, most of them involving young children.
There is no cure for norovirus infection. Doctors advise sick people to stay home, rest, and stay hydrated.
A CDC spokesperson said, “Preventing or controlling outbreaks requires appropriate measures for everyone, especially those who handle food, children, the elderly, and people who are close to the immunocompromised.” Hand washing is important.”
It’s especially important to remember that alcohol-based hand sanitizers are not a replacement for hand washing and are not effective against norovirus, according to the CDC and medical experts.
“You really have to use soap and water,” says Penn, a gastroenterologist at JFK University Medical Center. “For many people, it’s much more convenient to pump hand sanitizer. But you really need to wash with soap and water.”
Penn also advises carefully cleaning all high-touch surfaces, including toilet handles, toilet lids, doorknobs, and light switches, using products that effectively kill norovirus, such as bleach.
“It only takes a short amount of time to get sick,” Penn said.
A CDC spokesperson said the agency will continue to work with state and local health department partners to conduct norovirus outbreak surveillance and monitor strains.
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Katie Kausch can be contacted at: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @Katie Kaush.
jackie roman may reach [email protected].
