About Norovirus

About Norovirus:

• It is a common and very contagious virus.
• It causes nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
• It is also sometimes referred to as the ‘stomach flu’ or the ‘ winter vomiting bug’.
• People of all ages can get infected and sick with norovirus , which spreads very easily and quickly.
• You can get norovirus illness many times in your life because there are many different types of noroviruses.
• Transmission:
  • They commonly spread through food or water that is contaminated during preparation or through contaminated surfaces. 
  • Noroviruses can also spread through close contact with a person who has norovirus infection.
• Symptoms:
  • The initial symptoms of norovirus are vomiting and/or diarrhoea, which show up one or two days after exposure to the virus.
  • Patients also feel nauseous, and suffer from abdominal pain, fever, headaches and body aches.
  • In extreme cases, loss of fluids could lead to dehydration.
• Treatment:
  • No vaccines are currently available to prevent norovirus. Treatment for the infection focuses on relieving your symptoms.
  • It is important to maintain hydration in the acute phase. In extreme cases, patients have to be administered rehydration fluids intravenously.

 

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Q1) What is a Virus?

A virus is an infectious microbe consisting of a segment of nucleic acid (either DNA or RNA) surrounded by a protein coat. A virus cannot replicate alone; instead, it must infect cells and use components of the host cell to make copies of itself. Often, a virus ends up killing the host cell in the process, causing damage to the host organism.

Source: 177 sickened with norovirus on the Celebrity Summit. Gastrointestinal illness outbreaks on ships are on the rise this year.