What is norovirus?
Norovirus is a virus (a type of germ) that is the most common cause of vomiting, diarrhea, and foodborne illness in the United States. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has estimated that every year in the United States norovirus causes:
19 to 21 million illnesses
2,270,000 outpatient clinic visits annually, mostly in young children
465,000 emergency department visits, mostly in young children
109,000 hospitalizations
900 deaths, mostly among adults aged 65 years and older
Norovirus is very contagious, meaning it spreads quickly and easily between people. Norovirus can spread quickly in places such as schools, shelters, jails/prisons, camps, hospitals, nursing homes, and cruise ships.
Illness from norovirus is sometimes called the āstomach bugā or āstomach flu,ā but it is not related to flu viruses, which mainly cause respiratory symptoms (such as coughing and lung infection).ā