What you need to know about UK’s biggest bug
NOROVIRUS only tends to hit the headlines when it lands entire cruise ships in quarantine.
But you’re more likely to catch the UK’s most common stomach bug at work, with between 600,000 and a millions sufferers on dry land in the UK every year.
GP Dr Roger Henderson said: “The virus is incredibly contagious and can be passed on through contact with an infected person, or contact with contaminated surfaces or objects.
“Faecal matter can also carry the virus, meaning it can be found on toilet seats and handles.
“You can also get norovirus from food and water, especially bivalve molluscs, such as oysters, mussels, clams, cockles and scallops that have been contaminated.”
Germ hotspots to be wary of include workplaces, public transport and schools.
Here’s what you need to know. Norovirus doesn’t take long to turn you into an extra from The Walking Dead.
The fast-acting particles are usually ingested through your mouth or nose and once you’ve come into contact it only takes 12-48 hours for symptoms to kick in. At this point, you’ll begin to feel very unwell, as your body’s immune system begins to produce antibodies to fight the infected cells.
You may experience sudden projectile vomiting and watery diarrhoea as your body attempts to fight the infection. While this may be alarming, these are your body’s natural trigger responses, as your immune system toils to flush the particles out of your body.
As well as the dreaded toilet runs, Dr Henderson says you may experience stomach cramps, abdominal pain, fatigue and a mild fever while you’re contagious.
Norovirus tends to leave as quickly as it arrives, usually lasting one to two days. There’s little you can do to speed up the recovery process. “There is no specific treatment but to let the illness run its course,” says Dr Henderson.
“While the symptoms are not pleasant, most people make a full recovery within a few days. You’ll have lost water from the body, so you need to drink plenty of liquids to replace lost fluids.” Dr Henderson advises staying at home until 48 hours after the symptoms have passed, otherwise you still run the risk of passing the virus onto others.
He added: “You should also disinfect all surfaces that have been contaminated by the virus, such as toilets, bedding and walls.” Practise good hygiene. After using the toilet, scrub your hands with anti-bacterial soap.
Dr Henderson said: “Consider wearing gloves on public transport and avoid touching your face and mouth with your hands.”
There’s little you can do to speed up recovery process
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