The most common mode of infection is through food contaminated by a food handler who has had norovirus. The stomach flu is not caused by a flu virus at all, but by norovirus. Norovirus is a virus, it is not a bacteria nor a parasite.
You can also get norovirus by touching surfaces in public spaces contaminated by norovirus such as railings, telephones, and doorknobs and then touching your mouth.
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting and/or
- Fever
- Abdominal cramps
- Nausea
- Proper hand washing helps reduce the chance that you may ingest norovirus picked up on your hands. Try to avoid touching the mouth, eyes and nose which are common entryways of many infectious diseases.
- Disinfect commonly touched surfaces. Perhaps in the future a paint on germ killing polymer may provide long lasting infection control to surfaces such as doorknobs, telephones and faucets.
- Cook food thoroughly to prevent the spread of norovirus from a contaminated food handler. Follow tips to survive a dive to guide you in making germ free choices at a restaurant.
- If possible, avoid areas with norovirus outbreaks.
- Cruise ships should abide by the Vessel Sanitation Program headed up by the Centers for Disease Control. Check out these articles about cruising with confidence and norovirus and cruise ships.
- Food handlers should not work until they have been healthy for 48-72 hours. However, it has been shown that norovirus may be present in a person for up to two weeks after showing symptoms of the illness.
- Restaurants or other epicenters of the virus should be sanitized with a chlorine bleach solution and clothing and other personal protection equipment such as masks, boots, aprons and gloves should also be disinfected.
Vaccines for norovirus do not exist because there are many different types of the virus. People who have fallen ill several times with norovirus are likely to have had a different strain of the virus each time.
People normally recover from the virus, but it can lead to death in the elderly and very young or people who already suffer from an illness.
Centers for Disease Control. Morbitity and Mortality Weekly Report, April 14, 2006/55(14),395-397.