New norovirus strain is extremely contagious. Here are five tips to avoid getting and spreading it.
Although the traditional flu is on everyone’s minds this season, the winter vomiting bug, or the norovirus, is also making its rounds. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the norovirus causes about 70,000 hospitalizations and 800 deaths each year, mostly in young children and the elderly. A report on Dacula Patch says after raging across Japan and Europe already, the bug is thought to be the cause of 60 percent of "stomach bug" cases reported already in 2013. Some of the virus' common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pains. The CDC points out that the norovirus is often referred to as the stomach flu, but it is unrelated to influenza. A new norovirus strain, GII.4 Sydney, was …
Food service establishments advised to take steps to control spread of virus.
Over the last few weeks the Fulton County Department of Health and Wellness has investigated several outbreaks of gastrointestinal disease associated with food service establishments. For some of these events the department has documented that a new strain of norovirus that is spreading widely throughout the United States was the cause and that the virus had infected food service workers. These circumstances have prompted the Department of Health and Wellness to issue advice on steps everyone, particularly food service establishments, can take to avoid this common and unpleasant gastrointestinal illness. The most important step in controlling the spread of this virus is regular hand washing with soap and water. Noroviruses are easily …
