You've Got What? Novovirus infection
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Norovirus infection is a type of viral gastroenteritis (also known as ‘gastro’: inflammation of the stomach and intestines (bowels)). Noroviruses (previously known as Norwalk-like viruses) are small round structured viruses that are members of a group of viruses called caliciviruses.
Noroviruses are very infectious and can spread easily from person-to-person. Both faeces and vomit are infectious. People can become infected with the virus in several ways, including:
Norovirus infection causes gastroenteritis. Noroviruses are a very common cause of gastroenteritis outbreaks in South Australia.
Illness often begins suddenly and symptoms usually last 1 or 2 days. However, during that brief period people can feel very ill and vomit, often violently and without warning, many times a day.
Common symptoms include:
Other symptoms may include:
Diagnosis can be made by PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing of a faecal sample in a pathology laboratory, but is usually only done for investigation of outbreaks.
(time between becoming infected and developing symptoms)
Symptoms usually begin 24 to 48 hours after ingestion of the virus, but can appear as early as 12 hours after exposure.
(time during which an infected person can infect others)
Norovirus can be found in the faeces and vomit of infected people from the day they start to feel ill and up to 2 weeks after they recover.
No specific therapy exists for norovirus infection and there is no vaccine available.
The following are general recommendations for the treatment of gastroenteritis:
Seek medical advice if there are any of the following symptoms: