After COVID-19, another ‘highly infectious’ Norovirus is spreading, know the symptoms

At a time when the COVID pandemic situation is still going on and people are still struggling to live with the devastation caused by the virus, another highly infectious virus has emerged in the United Kingdom.

The new highly infectious virus is called Norovirus, which is also known as the vomiting bug. Norovirus has recently is increasing across England, Public Health England (PHE) said.

What is Norovirus?

Norovirus is a very contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhoea among the infected persons.

Norovirus causes more than half of all foodborne illnesses in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

While norovirus is also known as stomach bug, and it is not related to the virus that causes COVID-19, said the CDC.

Symptoms of Norovirus

Diarrhoea, Vomiting, Nausea and Stomachache are the most common symptoms of norovirus. The symptoms of acute gastroenteritis from norovirus typically develop 12 to 48 hours after catching the virus and last for about one to three days.

The virus spreads very easily and quickly from an infected people to others through contaminated foods and surfaces.

Similarities between Coronavirus and Norovirus

Like the COVID-19 virus, Norovirus also spreads quickly and is highly contagious. It also reportedly mutates rapidly just like the Covid-19 and it can be asymptomatic in some people, as per reports of LiveMint.

Most people infected with the virus have diarrhoea, but some experience projectile vomiting as well. COVID-19 also causes diarrhoea in some patients.

The infected people can release billions of norovirus particles and a small amount of those particles can make someone sick just like the coronavirus.

Precautions to be taken

In order to avoid being infected with the norovirus, people should wash hands often, rinse fruits and vegetables before taking them inside and you should not prepare food for others when you are infected and for two days after symptoms stops showing.

Treatment

People infected with norovirus people recover without needing any treatment most of the time, but older adults, small children, and people with underlying medical conditions can be more susceptible to dehydration, and thus may need medical treatment or even a hospital stay.