Nov 7, 2008 6:47 pm US/Eastern
Norovirus Season Makes Its Ugly Return To NYC
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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The city's Health Department says emergency room visits for norovirus symptoms have gone up 19 percent in the past two weeks.
CBS
Health officials say it's that time of year again: a stomach virus that typically turns up each fall is back with a vengeance in 2008.
Flu season may be here, but influenza isn't just the only flu going around. The "stomach flu," also known as the norovirus, has hit New Yorkers hard. The city's Health Department says emergency room visits for the miserable symptoms have gone up 19 percent in the past two weeks.
"I don't think anybody knows for sure why we see it in the fall and winter, except for in the colder months people are inside more and are together more, so they can spread more easily," says Dr. Sharon Balter, a Medical Epidemiologist.
Symptoms of the stomach flu include vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, fever, and the chills.
"I would avoid full and heavy meals when you have the flu because the stomach is going to be sensitive and it might just promote more vomiting or diarrhea," says Dr. Flavio Gaudio of New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell.
The stomach flu is highly contagious and kids are known for spreading it amongst each other. It is also transmitted by food and drinks handled by a sick person, coming into contact with contaminated surfaces, or by changing the diaper of a sick child.
"The best way to prevent spreading is hand hygiene, especially in food handlers and preparers, especially in children in preschools and day care centers. Hand-to-mouth is usually the most common way of spreading these viruses," says Dr. Gaudio.
Families can protect themselves by washing hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds as soon as you get home; before eating; and after using the bathroom.
Symptoms of the norovirus generally go away on their own within 48 hours.
The best treatment is staying hydrated and resting. Children, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems are most at risk for the illness becoming more serious. If you can't keep down fluids, head to an emergency room.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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