Norovirus

These unpleasant little viruses are sometimes called "winter vomiting disease." They also cause stomach pain and diarrhoea— not exactly a recipe for fun! Their name comes from Norwalk, Ohio, in the United States, where an outbreak among school children first led to the identification of a strain of the virus. The scientists who discovered it called it the "Norwalk Virus," and the group of viruses eventually became known as "Noroviruses".

Most Noroviruses are relatively harmless but very contagious— you can pick them up by person-to-person contact or by food and water that's been contaminated with small bits of fecal material (that's poo, ew). They can spread very quickly in places where there are lots of people from different places cooped up together, like hospitals and prisons. There are also outbreaks on cruise ships nearly every year! In hospitals the virus is a particular concern, since a bad case of diarrhoea and vomiting can dehydrate a person very quickly and put a lot of stress on people who are already weak from being ill or injured. This is one of the reasons that hospital workers and visitors need to be extremely careful to wash their hands regularly, especially after using the toilet.

There's a Norovirus outbreak almost every winter in the UK, but the one in that started in September 2007 is a particularly contagious strain. As of January 2008 there were about twice as many cases as during the previous winter. It's not especially life-threatening, but it's bad enough to send you home for a few days feeling pretty horrible. Hospitals, schools, and offices around the UK have been struggling to keep going as the disease spreads among their staff. One nasty trick the virus plays is that after you feel better you can still be really contagious, so going back to work or school too early can trigger another round of infections. To contain the spread of the virus, the Royal College of GPs has recommended that people stay home from school or work for 48 hours even after the symptoms have gone. Hm, that doesn't sound too bad!

If you catch it, don't worry. It might make you feel pretty miserable for a bit, but it's not the end of the world. Just remember to take it easy and drink enough fluids so you don't get too dehydrated. Whenever you're vomiting or have diarrhoea, you're losing lots of water. You lose things like salts and sugars too, so water alone doesn't rehydrate you as well as an isotonic solution. A simple one is just a glass of water with a couple spoonfuls of salt and sugar dissolved in it. Fruit juice also works pretty well. Feel better?