As every year, fall and winter are the peak season of diseases caused by noroviruses. Noroviruses are a very common cause of food infections such as vomiting and diarrhea. The infection occurs through the ingestion through contaminated hands and food. Good hand hygiene reduces the risk of infection and protects against further spread of the virus.
Last year, healthcare facilities reported less than half the number of norovirus outbreaks
The first outbreaks of norovirus in Norway have already been reported to FHI this fall. Last year in institutions health service Half as many norovirus outbreaks were reported compared to the previous year. This was due to enhanced infection control measures in healthcare institutions and society in general due to Covid-19. This virus was by far the most common cause of infectious disease outbreaks in healthcare facilities before the pandemic.
Proper hand hygiene. Season of disease caused by noroviruses
Norovirus is highly contagious and spreads easily. This most often happens in places where many people gather or live close to each other. Patients become infected for a short time before symptoms develop and for several days after symptoms resolve. The greatest risk of infection occurs after 2-3 days of symptoms. The virus is transmitted by airborne eg coughing.
The most important preventive measure to prevent infections is good hand and kitchen hygiene. Good hand hygiene means washing your hands frequently with soap and running water. Studies have shown that hand disinfection based on alcohol has a limited effect for noroviruses. In public places where a lot of people gather, it should be easy to wash your hands. The most important single measure, apart from stricter hand hygiene, is the isolation of the sick person or people. All actions are aimed at preventing the further spread of the infection.
Fall and winter are the season of norovirus disease. It is a very common cause of food infections
Good hand hygiene is the most important way to avoid getting infected with norovirus, says Dr. Hilde Marie Lund of the National Institute of Public Health.
Preschool children should not return to kindergarten until 48 hours after vomiting and diarrhea have resolved. People who prepare food should not return to work too quickly, this applies to kitchen, canteen and restaurant workers.
Healthcare workers, kitchen workers and cleaners working in healthcare should not be at work and should not return to work until 48 hours after symptoms have cleared. It should be remembered that vomiting or diarrhea accompanying infection with the virus may lead to dehydration of the body, especially in young children, the elderly and people with other diseases.
The most common symptoms of norovirus infection are:
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- nausea,
- abdominal pain
- fever
Source: FHI
Read our next article: Do we need a central car damage register?
