"Food Safety Guide" series | Norovirus infection enters a high incidence period, experts give these prevention and treatment suggestions

Recently, the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health reminder on Norovirus infection, showing that October to March of the following year is the peak period for Norovirus infection, and places where people gather, such as schools and childcare institutions, are high-incidence places for Norovirus infection.

Hou Shumin, head nurse of the Disease Control (Infection Control) Department of the General Emergency Hospital, said in an interview with a reporter from People's Daily Online that norovirus belongs to the Caliciviridae family, and has the characteristics of low infection dose, long detoxification time, strong resistance to the external environment, short immune protection time, and universal susceptibility of the entire population. It is one of the common pathogens that cause acute gastroenteritis. The common symptoms of norovirus infection are mainly diarrhea and vomiting, followed by nausea, abdominal pain, headache and fever. Children mainly suffer from vomiting, while adults mainly suffer from diarrhea, and the feces are watery or watery. The incubation period after norovirus infection is 12 to 72 hours, usually 24 to 48 hours.

There are many ways for Norovirus to be transmitted, mainly through ingestion of food or water contaminated by feces or vomitus, contact with patient feces or vomitus, inhalation of aerosols produced when the patient vomits, and indirect contact with objects and environments contaminated by feces or vomitus.

"Currently, there is no specific medicine or vaccine for the treatment of norovirus. Norovirus infection causes an acute onset and is a self-limiting disease. Most patients have mild symptoms after onset and do not require special treatment. They can recover after vomiting and diarrhea and rest for 2 to 3 days." Hou Shumin pointed out, but the possibility of severe illness in the elderly, infants and young children cannot be ruled out. Seek medical attention in time if you encounter the following situations: persistent high fever; persistent diarrhea or vomiting for several days; severe abdominal pain that cannot be relieved; poor mental response and drowsiness; blood in the stool or yellow bile-like liquid in the vomit; infants cannot normally consume breast milk for several hours, and have no urine or dry diapers for 4 to 6 hours; children have no urine for 6 to 8 hours, no tears when crying, sunken eye sockets, and poor skin elasticity.

How to prevent norovirus infection? Hou Shumin suggested that people should keep their hands clean. They should wash their hands correctly according to the six-step hand washing method before meals, after defecation, and before processing food. They should pay attention to food and water hygiene, not drink raw water, and cook food thoroughly, especially seafood such as shellfish. They should do a good job of environmental cleaning and disinfection. They should maintain a healthy lifestyle such as regular work and rest, a reasonable diet, and moderate exercise to enhance their body's resistance to viruses. At the same time, people who have been infected with norovirus should be isolated at home as much as possible to avoid infecting others. It should be noted that the environment and objects contaminated by the patient's vomit or feces need to be scientifically and standardizedly disinfected with chlorine-containing preparations, and alcohol is ineffective against norovirus.