Winter vomiting disease
How isnorovirus spread?
Norovirus spreads very easily in public places such as hospitals, nursing homes and schools.
You can catch it if small particles of vomit or poo from an infected person get into your mouth, such as through:
- close contact with someone with norovirus they may breathe out small particles containing the virus that you could inhale
- touching contaminated surfaces or objects the virus can survive outside the body for several days
- eating contaminated food this can happenif an infected person doesn't wash their hands before handling food
A person withnorovirus is most infectious from when their symptoms start until48 hours after all their symptoms have passed, although they may also be infectious for a short time before and after this.
You can get norovirus more than once because the virus is always changing,so your body is unable to build up long-term resistance to it.
Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 21 Dec 2018
Introduction
Read all about norovirus, including how it's spread, what the symptoms are, when to get medical advice and how to stop it spreading.
Symptoms of norovirus
You'relikely to have norovirus if youexperience: suddenly feeling sick projectilevomiting watery diarrhoea Some people also have a slight fever, headaches , painful stomach cramps and aching li
What to do if you have norovirus
If you experience sudden diarrhoea and vomiting, the best thing to do is to stay at home until you're feeling better. There's no cure for norovirus, so you have to let it run its course. You don't us
When to get medical advice
You don't normally need to see your GP if you think you or your child has norovirus, as there's no specific treatment for it. Antibiotics won't help because it's caused by a virus. Visiting your G
How isnorovirus spread?
Norovirus spreads very easily in public places such as hospitals, nursing homes and schools. You can catch it if small particles of vomit or poo from an infected person get into your mouth, such as t
Preventing norovirus
It's not always possible to avoid getting norovirus, but following the advice below can help stop the virus spreading. Stay off work or schooluntil at least 48 hours after the symptoms havepassed.
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