Norovirus causes about half of all outbreaks of food-related illness

The FINANCIAL — Norovirus is the leading cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States. Norovirus causes about half of all outbreaks of food-related illness. Most reported norovirus outbreaks are caused by people who touch or prepare food when they are sick, or sometimes by food that comes from contaminated water. About 1 in every 15 people in the US will get norovirus illness annually. By age 5 years, 1 out of every 40 children will visit an emergency room and 1 out of 160 children will be hospitalized due to norovirus.

Norovirus spreads easily and can make you very sick with diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain.

Foods contaminated with norovirus can make people sick.

Statistics

Approximately 109,000 hospitalizations
Nearly 2.3 million outpatient visits
More than 450,000 emergency department visits, primarily in young children
900 deaths, mostly among adults age 65 years and older

Because the virus is very tiny and spreads easily, it only takes a very small amount of virus to contaminate food and make someone sick.

Food can get contaminated with norovirus when

• Infected people who have feces (poop) or vomit on their hands touch the food.
• Food is placed on counters or surfaces that have tiny drops of feces (poop) or vomit on them.
• Tiny drops of vomit from an infected person spray through the air and land on the food or surfaces, like countertops.
• Feces (poop) or vomit is in areas where food is grown or harvested.
• Food workers with norovirus illness can spread the virus to others.

People who are infected with norovirus can shed billions of norovirus particles in their feces (poop) or vomit. You are most contagious—

• When you feel sick with norovirus, and
• During the first few days after you feel better.
• If you work with food when you have norovirus, you can easily contaminate the food and drinks you touch. People who have the contaminated food or drinks you touched can also get norovirus and become sick.

Norovirus causes about half of all outbreaks of food-related illness.

Any food served raw or handled after being cooked can get contaminated with norovirus.

4 Tips to Prevent Norovirus from Spreading

1. When you are sick, do not prepare, serve, or touch food for others

Food workers should stay home when sick and for at least 48 hours after symptoms stop. This also applies to sick workers in schools, daycares, healthcare facilities, and other places where they may expose people to norovirus. Food workers should inform managers if they have any symptoms of norovirus illness or were recently sick. Even when returning to work, it is especially important that food workers continue to take precautions like frequent handwashing.

2. Practice proper hand hygiene

Always wash hands carefully with soap and water, especially—

• After using the toilet and
• Before eating, preparing, or handling food.
• Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can be used in addition to hand washing. However, they should not be used as a substitute for washing with soap and water. In addition, food workers should avoid touching food, especially ready-to-eat food, with bare hands, and use gloves or tongs instead. Hands should still be washed before and after use of gloves in order to prevent cross-contamination.

3. Wash fruits and vegetables and cook seafood well

Carefully wash fruits and vegetables before preparing and eating them. Cook oysters and other shellfish thoroughly before eating. Thorough cooking is important because noroviruses can survive temperatures as high as 145°F. Quick steaming processes that are often used for cooking shellfish won’t kill the virus.

Food that might be contaminated with norovirus should be thrown out.

4.Clean and disinfect contaminated surfaces

After throwing up or having diarrhea, immediately clean and disinfect contaminated surfaces like countertops. Use a chlorine bleach solution with a concentration of 1000 to 5000 ppm (5 to 25 tablespoons of household bleach [5.25%] per gallon of water) or other disinfectant registered as effective against norovirus by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Norovirus outbreaks have been reported in many settings, including healthcare facilities, restaurants and catered events, schools, and childcare centers. Cruise ships account for a small percentage (1%) of reported norovirus outbreaks overall.

Annual burden of norovirus in the US

Symptoms
Anyone can be infected and get sick with norovirus. You can get norovirus illness more than once during your lifetime. The illness often begins suddenly. You may feel very sick, with stomach cramping, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea, although symptoms usually only last a few days. People infected with norovirus are contagious from the moment they begin feeling ill to at least 3 days after recovery. Some people may be contagious for as long as 2 weeks after recovery.

Treatment
If you have norovirus illness, drink plenty of liquids to prevent dehydration which can lead to serious problems. If you think you or someone you are caring for is severely dehydrated, call a healthcare professional.

There are no specific medicines to treat people with norovirus. Antibiotics do not help because they fight bacteria, not viruses.