A highly contagious virus with no treatment is circulating Kentucky. How to stay safe
Open the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention respiratory virus tracker, and you’ll notice Kentucky is highlighted in a feverish red as illnesses like COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) surge across the state.
But according to Dr. Nicholas Van Sickels, an infectious disease specialist with UK HealthCare, this winter is different. That’s because a highly contagious stomach bug, known as norovirus, is also in the mix making this season even worse.
Norovirus spreads easily on contaminated surfaces, like your iPhone, and it’s resistant to typical alcohol-based hand sanitizers, according to the CDC.
What’s worse, there’s no real treatment for norovirus beyond getting plenty of rest and constant fluids infused with electrolytes. The virus typically only lasts one to three days, but they are miserable ones, according to Van Sickels.
“Plenty of people end up in the emergency department because they get so dehydrated,” Van Sickels said. “You’re not able to eat because you’re vomiting.”
At Kentucky Children’s Hospital, pediatricians are also seeing more patients with flu and RSV, Dr. Lindsay Ragsdale, the hospital’s chief medical officer, said Friday.
“We’re seeing somewhere between 10 to 20 patients each day at the children’s hospital needing admission. That’s a significant amount,” Ragsdale said. “Good hand washing, trying to stay home, keep your kids home when they’re sick and have a fever and really vaccinations is the best way that we can prevent these infections.”
According to data from the Kentucky Department for Public Health, emergency department visits for acute respiratory illness (a general term that includes several respiratory infections) peaked, so far, in late December at 10,413 visits or 26% of all visits. For the week ending Jan. 11, that figure has since fallen to 19% or 5,716 such visits.
What should I know about norovirus?
Norovirus is highly contagious due to how it spreads: mainly through vomit and feces particles that infect others and linger on contaminated hands and surfaces.
When you contract norovirus, you shed billions of norovirus particles that can’t be seen with the naked eye. Still, it only takes a few to make you and others sick, as explained by the CDC. The most common symptoms are diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and stomach pain, but fever, headache and body aches are also common.
Additionally, those who are infected remain contagious for a long time. Research has shown you can spread norovirus for two weeks or more after you feel better.
The CDC recommends the following strategies to avoid getting norovirus and spreading it to your family:
Proper hand washing is essential. Simply dabbing your hands with some hand sanitizer isn’t enough to stop the norovirus. Work up a lather and be sure to wash your hands for at least 20 seconds. The CDC recommends humming the “Happy Birthday” song to yourself at least twice before you rinse and dry.
Use disinfecting products or a chlorine bleach solution made with 5 to 25 tablespoons of bleach per gallon of water to clean contaminated surfaces, especially those that come into contact with vomit or diarrhea. Follow up by disinfecting the surface with soap and hot water. Then, throw the laundry in the wash, take out the trash and wash your hands.
When washing possibly contaminated laundry, wear rubber gloves and handle items carefully. Avoid shaking them out. You should wash the items with detergent and hot water at max cycle and dry on the hottest setting possible. Follow up by washing your hands afterwards.
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