As we've mentioned before, it isn't just a particularly bad year for the flu (though holy crap, I had it last week and you do not want) there are other viruses doing their best to keep us all from your jobs. Like the whooping cough. And a particularly vile strain of norovirus, also known as the "winter vomiting disease," the "cruise ship flu" and "the one with the explosive diarrhea and vomiting."
As the CDC explained in a weekly update yesterday, a new strain of the bug, GII.4 Sydney, has been making the rounds. First identified in Australia in March 2012, the bug has been spreading quickly through the U.S. this season. "During September-December 2012, a total of 141 (53%) of the 266 norovirus outbreaks reported to CaliciNet were caused by GII.4 Sydney." In previous years the peak for norovirus outbreaks have been January, so the CDC says it is "too early to make an assessment of the relative magnitude of the current season."
So how does the norovirus spread? Easily! According to the CDC of the Sydney outbreaks they've analyzed most (51 percent) were caused by direct person-to-person transmission, 20 percent were foodborne, one percent was waterborne and the other 28 percent were transmitted by unknown methods. As for what to do if you get the bug? "Proper hand hygiene, environmental disinfection, and isolation of ill persons remain the mainstays of norovirus prevention and control."
And though it is wildly unpleasant (and can last for days) luckily the norovirus is not often fatal. Of the 21 million estimated people who get one each year only about 800 die. Just remember to stay hydrated!
