Norovirus outbreak: How to protect yourself from the ‘winter vomiting bug’

LOS ANGELES - Cases of norovirus are surging across the United States this winter, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

There have been 91 outbreaks reported by state health departments during the week of Dec. 5, according to the most recent numbers from the CDC. This is up from 69 outbreaks during the last week of November. 

A norovirus infection is often characterized by sudden vomiting and diarrhea and can sometimes be deadly in elderly people. 

Also known as the "winder vomiting bug," about 19 million cases are reported in the United States each year, according to CDC data. 

Here’s how you can protect yourself from a potential infection. 

Prevention

Washing your hands well is essential to preventing further spread of norovirus, the CDC said. 

Hand sanitizer doesn’t count. 

Using hand sanitizer in addition to handwashing is acceptable, the health agency said. 

Washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds is the best method to prevent another person from becoming infected. 

When cooking

Before preparing food, washing all fruits and vegetables well is important. 

And just as in any household or restaurant or kitchen, keeping surfaces and cooking utensils clean should be a part of a daily routine, the CDC suggested. 

The norovirus can survive temperatures of up to 145 degrees Fahrenheit and steaming food will not kill the disease. 

Cleaning/laundry

If an infected person has vomited or had diarrhea, it is important to wear rubber or disposable gloves when cleaning up after them. 

Wipe the entire area that could have been contaminated with the disease with a chlorine bleach solution with a concentration of 1,000 to 5,000 ppm or use an EPA-registered disinfectant product. 

Leave the bleach disinfectant on the surface for at least five minutes before wiping the area clean with something disposable such as a paper towel. 

When doing laundry, it is also best to use rubber or disposable gloves when handling contaminated clothes. 

Try not to shake the clothes when handling them and wash them with hot water and detergent on the longest cycle, the CDC suggested. Also dry the clothes on the highest heat setting. 

How does norovirus spread? 

Norovirus can be found in a person’s feces or vomit even before they start to feel ill, the CDC said. 

The virus can stay active in someone’s feces for two weeks or more even after you feel better. 

A person can become infected with the disease if they get tiny infected particles in their mouth. 

Contaminated food 

• Touching food with bare hands.
• Food is placed on a counter or surface that has poop or vomit particles on it.
• Tiny drops of vomit from an infected person spray through the air and land on the food.
• Food is grown with contaminated water (like oysters), or fruit and vegetables are watered with contaminated water in the field.

Contaminated water

• At the source, such as when a septic tank leaks into a well.
• When a person vomits or poops in the water.
• When water isn't treated properly, such as with not enough chlorine.

Contaminated surfaces

• An infected person touches surfaces with their bare hands.
• Food, water, or objects that are contaminated with norovirus are placed on surfaces.
• Tiny drops of vomit from a person with norovirus spray through the air, landing on surfaces or entering another person's mouth.
• A person with norovirus has diarrhea that splatters onto surfaces.

When are you the most contagious? 

People are typically contagious when they have symptoms of norovirus, according to the CDC. 

A person can also pass on the disease to another person even a few days after they feel better from an infection. 

There have also been some studies that show a person can spread the disease up to two weeks after they feel better. 

If you are sick, the CDC suggests keeping this in mind: 

"Do not prepare, handle food, or care for others. Wait at least 2 days (48 hours) after symptoms stop. This is important if you work in a restaurant, school, daycare, long-term care facility, or other places where you may expose people to norovirus."

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