Warnings have been issued due to the winter vomiting bug norovirus after a rise in outbreaks in care homes over recent weeks. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has made efforts to remind the public of easy steps to limit the spread of the virus.
Norovirus causes vomiting and diarrhoea and is extremely contagious, but it normally doesn't last longer than a couple of days. It spreads very easily in public places like schools, nursing homes, and hospitals where tiny particles of vomit or excrement enter a person's nose or mouth.
The advice was issued by the UKHSA after routine surveillance in England shows that the number of outbreaks caused by the vomiting bug has increased in recent weeks.
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Numbers are on the rise in educational settings and care homes, according to data from the four week period from the end of January to February. It is transmitted easily through contact with infected individuals or contaminated surfaces, reports The Mirror.
The increase in reported outbreaks was in educational settings initially, particularly in nursery and childcare facilities, with 48 per cent more incidents reported to UKHSA than would have been expected.
Reports of norovirus outbreaks in care home settings have also risen in recent weeks, with a rise from 24 reported in week 6 (w/c February 7) to 40 reported in week 7 (w/c February 14) of 2022.
While outbreaks reported in care homes overall remain below pre-pandemic levels, it is likely they will continue to increase in the coming weeks, the agency says.
Professor Saheer Gharbia, Gastrointestinal Pathogens & Food Safety Directorate, UKHSA, said: "Norovirus, commonly known as the winter vomiting bug, has been at lower levels than normal throughout the pandemic but as people have begun to mix more, the numbers of outbreaks have started to increase again.
"Symptoms include sudden onset of nausea, projectile vomiting and diarrhoea but can also include a high temperature, abdominal pain and aching limbs."
The six main symptoms of norovirus
- Vomiting
- Watery diarrhoea
- Feeling sick
- Aching arms and legs
- A high temperature
- A headache
How to reduce the spread of norovirus
Stay at home if you are experiencing norovirus symptoms, the UKHSA advises. You should not return to work or send children to school until 48 hours after symptoms have cleared. You should also avoid visiting elderly or poorly relatives, especially if they are in hospital or a care home.
You should wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and warm water. Alcohol hand gels don’t kill norovirus.
When an infected person vomits, the droplets contaminate the surrounding surfaces. A bleach-based household cleaner or a combination of bleach and hot water should be used to disinfect potentially contaminated household surfaces and commonly used objects such as toilets, taps, telephones, door handles and kitchen surfaces.
If you are unwell, you should avoid cooking and helping prepare meals for others until 48 hours after symptoms have stopped, as norovirus can be spread through food contaminated by the virus when food is handled by symptomatic people/infected individuals.
You should wash any contaminated clothing or bedding using detergent and at 60C, and if possible, wear disposable gloves to handle contaminated items.
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What should I do if I have norovirus?
According to doctors, you are required to isolate by yourself at home until 48 hours have passed since the last time you were sick. The NHS warns: “Stay off school or work until you have not been sick or had diarrhoea for at least 2 days. This is when you're most infectious. Do not visit hospitals or care homes during this time.”
The virus can survive outside the body for several days on contaminated food and so it is important for people to wash their hands regularly, especially before eating.
People are most infectious from when symptoms start until 48 hours after all symptoms have passed. You may also be infectious for a short time before and after this.
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