Health reminder | As autumn approaches, be vigilant against Norovirus!

As the Cold Dew season has passed, the cold air has become more active, the weather has slowly turned cooler, and the Norovirus-induced diarrhea has entered its peak season. According to statistics, about millions of people are infected with Norovirus every year, and most of the outbreaks occur in nurseries, primary and secondary schools, and other places. In the face of the aggressive Norovirus, how should we prevent and respond?

1. What is Norovirus?

Norovirus belongs to the Caliciviridae family and is one of the common pathogens that cause acute gastroenteritis. It has strong resistance and can survive on the surface of objects for several days at room temperature and remain infectious even after being frozen for several years. Norovirus is very small, with a diameter of only 20-40 nanometers. What does this mean? The ants we see in the wild can be 3-4 mm long, which is equivalent to the length of 100,000 noroviruses lined up. Such a small virus can make us sick as long as we come into contact with a dozen of them.

2. What are the transmission routes of Norovirus?

Norovirus is highly contagious and all people are susceptible . It is transmitted in a variety of ways, mainly through ingestion of food or water contaminated by the virus, contact with feces or vomit of patients, inhalation of aerosols containing norovirus particles, and even indirect contact with objects and environments contaminated by feces or vomit. Therefore, it is easy to cause outbreaks in relatively closed environments such as schools and childcare institutions, and its transmission speed can be called the "Ferrari" of the virus world.

3. What are the symptoms of Norovirus infection?

Norovirus infection can occur throughout the year, with the peak season from September to March of the following year. Common symptoms of infection include nausea, vomiting, fever, abdominal pain and diarrhea, and some patients experience headaches, chills and muscle aches. Children mainly experience vomiting, while adults mostly experience diarrhea, with loose or watery stools.

4. How to prevent Norovirus infection?

There is currently no vaccine to prevent norovirus infection. Personal protection is the key to preventing infection:

1. Maintain good hand hygiene: wash your hands before meals and after defecation, and wash your hands carefully with soap and running water for at least 20 seconds.

2. Develop good dietary hygiene habits : keep food fresh and separate raw and cooked food; do not drink raw water, drink boiled water or choose hygienic and qualified bottled water; wash fruits and vegetables before eating them raw; oysters and other shellfish must be fully heated and cooked before eating.

3. Stay at home in isolation : Try to avoid contact with others during illness, especially students must return to school three days after the symptoms disappear.

4. Carry out comprehensive disinfection : When a cluster or outbreak of norovirus gastroenteritis occurs, the surfaces of objects and the environment that may be contaminated should be thoroughly disinfected. The most commonly used disinfectant is chlorine-containing disinfectant, with an effective chlorine concentration of 5000mg/L to 10000mg/L. It is particularly worth noting that alcohol is ineffective against norovirus!

Source: Healthy Micro Hunan, Lanshan County Health Bureau