Norovirus
Norovirus
Angela (Angy) Jenkins
SCI 162 / Principles of Health and Wellness
June 4, 2013
Barb Loguda
The Norovirus
“Norovirus is a very contagious virus. You can get norovirus from an infected person, contaminated food or water, or by touching contaminated surfaces. The virus causes your stomach or intestines or both to get inflamed (acute gastroenteritis). This leads you to have stomach pain, nausea, and diarrhea and to throw up. Norovirus has many different names you may hear it referred to as food poisoning or stomach flu.” Food poisoning can come from the norovirus and it can also because by other chemicals in food. Adults and children can get the norovirus ; it doesn’t matter how old you are but older adult and young children are more at risk. “Norovirus is the most common cause of acute gastroenteritis in the United States.” Norovirus is transmitted directly from person to person and indirectly via contaminated water and food.“ Transmission occurs through ingesting contaminated food and water and by person-to-person spread. “Transmission can be aerosolized when those stricken with the illness vomit, and can be aerosolized by a toilet flush when vomit or diarrhea is present; infection can follow eating food or breathing air near an episode of vomiting, even if cleaned up.[16] The viruses continue to be shed after symptoms have subsided and shedding can still be detected many weeks after infection.”[ Vomiting, in particular, transmits infection effectively. In one incident, a person who vomited spread infection right across a restaurant, suggesting that many unexplained cases of food poisoning may have their source in vomit. 126 people were dining at six tables in December 1998; one woman vomited. Staff quickly cleaned up, and people continued eating. Three days later others started falling ill; 52 people reported a range of symptoms, from fever and nausea to vomiting and
Angela (Angy) Jenkins
SCI 162 / Principles of Health and Wellness
June 4, 2013
Barb Loguda
The Norovirus
“Norovirus is a very contagious virus. You can get norovirus from an infected person, contaminated food or water, or by touching contaminated surfaces. The virus causes your stomach or intestines or both to get inflamed (acute gastroenteritis). This leads you to have stomach pain, nausea, and diarrhea and to throw up. Norovirus has many different names you may hear it referred to as food poisoning or stomach flu.” Food poisoning can come from the norovirus and it can also because by other chemicals in food. Adults and children can get the norovirus ; it doesn’t matter how old you are but older adult and young children are more at risk. “Norovirus is the most common cause of acute gastroenteritis in the United States.” Norovirus is transmitted directly from person to person and indirectly via contaminated water and food.“ Transmission occurs through ingesting contaminated food and water and by person-to-person spread. “Transmission can be aerosolized when those stricken with the illness vomit, and can be aerosolized by a toilet flush when vomit or diarrhea is present; infection can follow eating food or breathing air near an episode of vomiting, even if cleaned up.[16] The viruses continue to be shed after symptoms have subsided and shedding can still be detected many weeks after infection.”[ Vomiting, in particular, transmits infection effectively. In one incident, a person who vomited spread infection right across a restaurant, suggesting that many unexplained cases of food poisoning may have their source in vomit. 126 people were dining at six tables in December 1998; one woman vomited. Staff quickly cleaned up, and people continued eating. Three days later others started falling ill; 52 people reported a range of symptoms, from fever and nausea to vomiting and
References: Center of Disease Control (cdc.gov) all references were taken from there.