Norovirus cases increasing nationwide

ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (WVIR) - Norovirus numbers are increasing nationwide.

“Norovirus is the primary cause of viral gastroenteritis. We see quite a bit of it every year,” Stuart Hutter with Sentara Healthcare said. “Usually, it’s a foodborne illness, but it can be spread by water or person-to-person.”

Hutter says the biggest thing we can do is keep ourselves clean.

“Hand washing is the key. It is spread by the fecal-oral route, so you have to ingest it into in terms of getting sick,” Hutter said.

Hutter also emphasizes how important it is to keep our environment clean, as norovirus can sit on surfaces for weeks.

“It is not killed by hand gel sanitizer, so you have to use soap and water,” Hutter said. “Cleaning the environment, you want to use a bleach base, or a sporicidal agent.”

The Blue Ridge Health District and CDC say an increase in norovirus is common this time of year, and we should see cases begin to peak in the near future.

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