<p class=”p1″>While the world is battling the fears of proliferation of the H5N1 (Avian/Bird) Influenza and HMPV (Human Metapneumovirus) infections, the UK is forced to tackle another seasonal menace that is attacking children of school-going age. According to reports in the British media, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has warned that cases of norovirus are high right now, with many people still falling ill this winter. Households are being urged to boil wash clothing and bedding in January to stave off a contagious sickness bug.</p>
<p class=”p1″><a title=”<strong>ABP Live</strong>” href=”https://news.abplive.com/health/what-is-norovirus-infection-uk-school-hit-by-bug-outbreak-children-vomiting-on-each-other-1735356″ target=”_self”><strong>ABP Live</strong></a> had reported earlier how in an outbreak at Telscombe Cliffs Academy near Brighton, children were left sick and vomiting over each other. The Norovirus bug causes gastroenteritis, resulting in sudden, watery diarrhoea and projectile vomiting, as well as a slight fever, painful stomach cramps, headaches, and aching limbs for around two to three days.</p>
<h3 class=”p1″><strong>What is Norovirus?</strong></h3>
<p class=”p1″><a title=”Norovirus” href=”https://news.abplive.com/health/what-is-norovirus-infection-uk-school-hit-by-bug-outbreak-children-vomiting-on-each-other-1735356″ target=”_self”>Norovirus</a> – also known as the winter vomiting bug – is linked to around 12,000 hospital admissions in the UK every year and spreads very easily, so it’s important to take precautions. It is a highly contagious virus known for causing symptoms like vomiting and diarrhoea, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Often referred to as the “stomach flu” or “stomach bug”, it is not related to the flu, which is caused by the influenza virus. Norovirus leads to acute gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach or intestines.</p>
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<h3 class=”p1″><strong>How does Norovirus spread?</strong></h3>
<p class=”p1″>While most individuals recover from norovirus within 1 to 3 days, they can continue to spread the virus for several days after their symptoms resolve. It can spread through close contact, through direct contact with an infected person, and by eating food prepared by someone with the virus. The virus can also stay in the infected person’s faeces for two weeks or more after he or she begins to feel better. One can still spread norovirus during that time. It can spread through touching contaminated surfaces, food, or water, the UKHSA says, and suggests that you should also wash any contaminated clothing or bedding at 60 degrees Celsius using detergent, making sure to use disposable gloves to handle any items.</p>
<h3 class=”p1″><strong>Don’t bank on sanitisers, use soap-detergents, and boiling</strong></h3>
<p class=”p1″>Want to sanitise the premises or cleanse the patient’s room and items? Don’t rely on alcohol-based hand sanitizer, say UK health authorities, in a claim backed by the famed medical research hospital Mayo Clinic from the US. Hand sanitizer shouldn’t be used as a substitute for hand-washing. You can use hand sanitizer in addition to washing your hands, but hand-washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds after each likely exposure is the best method to prevent norovirus, says Mayo Clinic. </p>
<p class=”p1″>According to a report in the Associated Press, cases of a wretched stomach bug are surging in parts of the United States this winter, according to government data. The most recent numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show there were 91 outbreaks of norovirus reported during the week of Dec. 5, up from 69 outbreaks the last week of November. The incidence of norovirus outbreaks is low in India, though not totally unheard of.</p>
<p class=”p1″><em>The author is a senior independent journalist.</em></p>
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