How to protect your family from nasty norovirus at home, school and work as cases surge across the UK
TO all of our dismay, norovirus cases have continued to surge in recent weeks – and health officials have issues advice on how to avoid catching and spreading the bug.
Brits struck by the nasty vomiting illness were urged to stay home from work and not to send kids to school after infections rose by 32 per cent in a fortnight.
Cases were 83 per cent higher than is normally expected from January 15 to 28, data from the UK Health Security Agency showed.
Though norovirus symptoms don’t last for more than two or three days, they can be pretty grim, striking sufferers with bouts of diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach pain.
Sufferers may also have a temperature, headache and an aching body.
Dr Lesley Larkin, of the UKHSA, said: “If you have got diarrhoea and vomiting, you can take steps to avoid passing the infection on.
“Do not return to work, school or nursery until 48 hours after your symptoms have stopped and don’t prepare food for others in that time either.”
The super contagious bug spreads very easily.
If you catch it from someone, you’ll probably develop symptoms suddenly within 12 hours to two days.
You can get it from having direct contact with someone with norovirus; this can happen if you’re caring for them or sharing food or cooking utensils.
Eating food contaminated with the virus can also see you struck down, as well as touching germ-laden surfaces and putting your unwashed fingers in your mouth.
Thankfully, there are a number of measures we can take to avoid catching and spreading the virus – both at home as well as at work and school.
And if you’re suffering from norovirus symptoms, there are a few things you should keep in mind to avoid becoming more unwell.
1. Drink plenty of water
When you’re vomiting and having diarrhoea, it means you’re losing a good amount of fluid.
It’s therefore important to make sure you’re replacing lost fluids when you’re in the throes of norovirus, to avoid becoming dangerously dehydrated.
Water and squash can help replenish your hydration levels.
The NHS advises you take small sips if you’re feeling sick.
Oral rehydration sachets that you can buy over the counter may also be helpful.
But take note that fruit juice and fizzy drinks can make diarrhoea worse.
Watch out for signs of severe dehydration, especially in children.
This includes feeling thirsty, peeing less often and having dark, strong smelling pee when you do, feeling dizzy, lightheaded or tired and having a dry mouth and sunken eyes.
2. Wash your hands well
The best way to protect yourself and others from the virus is keeping your hands clean.
But remember that hand sanitiser won’t do the job.
As the NHS states: “Alcohol hand gels do not kill norovirus.”
Instead, you should be washing your hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and water – especially after going to the toilet and before handling food.
Keep washing your hands well even after you feel better, as the virus can hang around in your poop two weeks or more after you feel better and you can still spread norovirus during that time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC noted.
3. Don’t share cooking utensils
The virus can linger on objects an infected person handles, so sharing cooking utensils can lead to you unwittingly ingesting germs and getting infected.
It’s best not to share anything with others to avoid getting infected in the first place or spreading the virus further.
4. Don’t share towels
The same goes for towels.
Don’t share towels at home or use public hand towels, like those at work or school, to avoid spreading the infection and catching it.
When to call 111 and 999 for norovirus
NOROVIRUS usually goes away on its own after a couple of days and doesn't require medical attention.
But you might need to speak to a doctor if:
- You’re worried about your baby who is younger than 12 months
- Your child stops breast or bottle feeding while they’re ill
- You think your child under five might be dehydrated – signs could include fewer wet nappies
- You’ve used rehydration sachets but still have signs of dehydration
- You or your child keep being sick and can’t keep fluids down
- You or your child have bloody diarrhoea or start bleeding from the bottom
- You or your child have diarrhoea for more than seven days or are vomiting for more than two days
And if you spot any of the following signs, it’s vital to seek urgent care:
- Vomit in your blood
- Vomit that looks like ground coffee
- Green vomit (adults) or yellow-green vomit (children)
- A stiff neck
- Pain when looking at bright lights
- A sudden, severe headache or stomach ache
Source: NHS
5. Clean your bathroom
According to the CDC, “tiny drops of vomit from a person with norovirus [can] spray through the air, landing on surfaces or entering another person’s mouth” and leading to infection.
You can also gets norovirus from diarrhoea that splatters onto surfaces.
So you should clean and disinfect an area immediately if a person vomits or has diarrhoea.
Wear rubber gloves, dispose of anything you use to wipe things up and use a chlorine bleach solution, leaving it on the affected area for five minutes.
Follow up by cleaning the entire area again with soap and hot water.
6. Mind your doorknobs
Another hotspot where norovirus may linger is doorknobs.
The NHS advises you clean door handles every day if someone has been struck down by a vomiting bug, as well as toilet seats, flush handles, taps and surfaces.
It might be worth avoiding touching doorknobs directly in public spaces or washing your hands very well afterwards as well.
7. Don’t prepare food for others
Norovirus is easily spread through food that’s been handled or prepared by someone with the bug.
If you have norovirus symptoms, you shouldn’t make meals or snacks for others for at least two days after symptoms stop.
8. Wash food before eating
You should also wash fruit and veg well before eating, both at home and if you buy an apple to eat as a snack at work.
Be aware that noroviruses are relatively resistant to heat and can survive temperatures as high as 145F, according to the CDC – that’s over 60C.
Though cooking can often kill germs, steaming veg quickly might not heat it enough to kill noroviruses.
You should throw out any food that might be contaminated with norovirus.
9. Do separate laundry loads
If clothes or bed linen has poop or vomit on it, you should immediately wash it.
The NHS advises you wash any contaminated clothing or bedding separately from other items on a hot wash.
How to treat norovirus
Though unpleasant, you can usually treat yourself or your tots at home, according to NHS guidance.
It doesn’t tend to be a dangerous illness and complications from it are rare, Patient.info says.
Aside from keeping an eye out for symptoms of dehydration, getting plenty of rest is the most important thing you can do to get well.
You’ll usually start to feel better within two or three days.
But you should stay off school or work until you have not been sick or had diarrhoea for at least two days, as this is when you’re most infectious.
Also, don’t visit any hospitals or care homes during this time.