Norovirus cases have surged this winter, with infections exceeding last year's peak. This stomach bug spreads rapidly, especially among people in close quarters like nursing homes or cruise ships. Dr. John Whyte advises that understanding norovirus's contagiousness is crucial, as it only takes a few viral particles to spread. Amanda Joy highlights that symptoms can develop 12-48 hours after exposure, and infected individuals can still transmit the virus before and after symptoms appear. Frequent hand-washing is deemed the best preventive measure against infection.
"Norovirus is tough to avoid, especially in households, but you can reduce your risk," Dr. John Whyte, the chief medical officer at WebMD, told HuffPost.
"Norovirus is extremely contagious," said Amanda Joy, a physician assistant and associate medical director of MedStar Health Urgent Care. "It only takes exposure to a few particles of virus to spread it."
"Eating food or drinking liquids that are contaminated with norovirus or touching contaminated objects or surfaces and then putting your unwashed fingers in your mouth will cause spread," Joy explained.
"Frequent, thorough hand-washing is the best defense against norovirus," Joy said. "It is important to scrub hands thoroughly to ensure the virus is eliminated."
Collection
[
|
...
]