For the past few months, reported cases of an illness caused by norovirus increased across the United States. And based on the finding published by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, a new strain of it is to blame.
Norovirus outbreaks are common from November to April with January at its peak month. But unlike the previous years, the recent outbreaks were particularly caused by a new strain called GII.4 Sydney. It was first detected March of last year in Australia.
Based on the CDC finding, which was released in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the said new strain caused ahuge increase in norovirus outbreaks from September to December. Specifically, it rose the percentage from 19 percent to 58 percent. But because the virus’ season is not yet over, the health organization said that it is still too early to determine if the new strain will cause more outbreaks than the previous seasons.
Here is a part of a report about New Novovirus Strain Leads to More Outbreaks in the US.
“A new strain of norovirus — a stomach bug that causes diarrhea and vomiting — was responsible for most outbreaks of the disease in the U.S. in recent months, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.
Last fall, 53 percent of norovirus outbreaks (141 out of 226) were caused by the new strain, dubbed GII.4 Sydney. Between September and December, the proportion of norovirus outbreaks caused by the new strain increased from 19 percent to 58 percent, the CDC said.”
Read more about New Strain Behind Novovirus Outbreaks in US at: foxnews.com
As said in the report, norovirus is contagious. And as it shared, every year, about 21 million people in the United States alone suffer from it. Around 800 of them die with young children, the elderly and people with weak immune system at the highest risk.
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But, specifically, what is a norovirus and how do you know if you are infected?
Norovirus and Norovirus Symptoms
Well, particularly, a norovirus is a virus transmitted by contaminated food and water via a person-to-person contact A contaminated surface could also spread it. So in the most basic sense, it is a virus that causes food poisoning or gastroenteritis.
Dubbed as “Vomiting Bug,” throwing up is among the major norovirus symptoms. Those other signs of its infection include:
- diarrhea
- fever
- coughing
- abdominal cramps
- nausea
When infected, the norovirus symptoms could appear one to two days after. And usually, they last for 24-60 hours.
As of now, there is yet no vaccine for the said food-poisoning virus. However, according to the scientists, they are close to producing one. And in probably four to five years, it could already be available in the market.
But with the fact that no norovirus vaccine is for sale yet goes another truth that everybody is at risk of getting infected by it. So if in case you contracted it, how could you be treated?
Norovirus Treatment
Unlike with many illnesses, antibiotics don’t actually work with the “vomiting bug.” In most cases, it just goes away after a number of days. However, if dehydration is ignored it could be fatal.
Because of that, norovirus treatment just basically includes rehydration. Make sure you drink a lot of water and fruit juice. Sweet beverages, alcohol and caffeinated drinks though, you should avoid as they could dehydrate you more.
Norovirus Prevention
As mentioned, today, there is yet no vaccine for norovirus. That doesn’t mean though that you couldn’t prevent it. With a number of steps, you could actually protect yourself from it.
To avoid contracting the said infection, CDC advised the:
- regular washing of hands with soap and water
- sanitizing of surfaces
- cooking of shellfish thoroughly
- rinsing of fruits and vegetables well.
Additionally, it said that anyone who’s sick should also not prepare food or care for others.
But more than those steps, maintaining a clean home environment is also another action that you must initiate. With a clean home, you could avoid pests and other elements that could bring in the norovirus. And needless to say that hinders the contamination of your food and water.
As you surely know though, just sweeping, wiping and washing your things at home is not enough to seal it from the virus. To really fool-proof your house from it and other disease-causing elements, you would need the help of home cleaning solutions.
However, your cleaners must not just be tough on pests, virus and bacteria. They should also be safe for health. Hence, you must not use chemical-based solutions. Otherwise, instead of decreasing the risk of acquiring diseases in your place, you could be increasing it.
My Cleaning Products could provide exactly the kind of cleaners ideal for your home cleaning – effective and safe. They are all made with natural ingredients so you need not to worry about releasing harsh chemicals to the environment.
We have neutralizers and all purpose cleaners that could clean and disinfect any kind of surface in your house. There are those that you could use on your tables and other furniture, walls, floors and countertops.
To prevent pests from contaminating your food and transferring bacteria to your home items, we also have pest-controls solutions. They are also made with natural ingredients. And as approved by FIFRA 25(b), they are minimum risk pesticides. That means, as non-pesticide pest-control sprays, they do not give off residues that could harm the health and the environment. Nonetheless, more than just eliminating the pests, they also prevent them from coming back so they also help cut down your pest-control expenses by a huge margin.
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