What is Norovirus that Kerala detected in two students?
In the age of the pandemic, the word ‘virus’ instills a lot of fear. Perhaps common people have learned more about viruses in the past 2 years than in their lifetime. Now, Kerala has detected two norovirus cases among students in the latest 'virus-related' news.
So far, it is believed that two primary school children from Thiruvananthapuram got the infection after consuming midday meals served at their schools.
WHAT IS NOROVIRUS?
Norovirus is a highly contagious stomach bug that often causes outbreaks during the winter months or between November and April. However, as the recent Kerala case shows, it can spring up any time.
You must have heard of stomach flu or food poisoning. Sometimes, these instances are caused by norovirus. However, the norovirus is not related to the flu, which is related to the influenza virus.
IS IT FATAL?
Norovirus among healthy individuals is not fatal. Usually, people recover from norovirus infection naturally and in just a few days. Among older people, young children or immunocompromised individuals, recovery can be a little slow.
According to the US CDC, around 2,00,000 people die around the world due to the virus, out of which 70,000 or more are children from developing countries. Moreover, one out of every five cases of acute gastroenteritis is caused by norovirus.
Currently, its emergence is concerning due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF NOROVIRUS?
- Nausea
- Diarrhoea
- Vomiting
- Dehydration
- Headache
- Stomach pain
Symptoms often show after around 48 hours of exposure to the virus. Sometimes it can be sooner.
HOW DOES IT SPREAD?
The virus is known for causing outbreaks in schools, cruises, and other contained spaces. It usually spreads through contaminated food or water, touching infected surfaces, or coming into contact with an infected person. The CDC recommends that patients coming out of the infection not cook for others for at least 2 days, even after the symptoms subside.
TREATMENT
There is no treatment for a quick recovery against norovirus infection, nor is there any vaccine to prevent it. Patients need to let the infection pass naturally. Usually, it is recommended to avoid foods with too much sugar, caffeinated items, or spicy food during the infection, as they can inflame the stomach lining further. Bland foods are usually recommended during the period.
Moreover, washing hands frequently with soap is also recommended. However, the norovirus is largely disinfectant resistant, making normal hand santisers, cleaning sprays, chlorinating water, etc, useless against the virus.
The US CDC also recommends washing fruits and vegetables regularly.
The virus was first detected after an outbreak in 1968 in Norwalk, US. It was initially named Norwalk virus before being renamed norovirus. However, the symptoms have been described for years before 1968, often known as the winter vomiting disease.
Norovirus was also detected in Telangana a few months ago, among children. In Kerala, other than the recent cases, there were a few outbreaks reported last year too.