Norovirus: A Stomach Bug
Norovirus is a virus associated with severe vomiting and diarrhea. It is a highly contagious virus which spreads by consuming contaminated food, sharing utensils with an individual suffering from norovirus, or putting contaminated hand in mouth. It affects the people of all ages. A person can have acute gastroenteritis associated with norovirus multiple times due to prevalence of numerous variants of the virus. Infection by one phenotype does not provide immunity against other variants. Symptoms of norovirus infection are: - Vomiting - Nausea - Diarrhea - Stomachache - Body pain - Fever - Headache Due to severe diarrhea and vomiting, the patient may develop signs and symptoms of dehydration such as dizziness, dry mouth, and low urinary output. The norovirus infection typically resolves within 1 to 3 days. There is no specific treatment of gastroenteritis caused by norovirus. The aim of management is to replace fluids. Reference: https://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/about/treatment.html Image courtesy: https://www.labroots.com/trending/microbiology/7390/winter-vomiting-disease