Handwashing — not sanitizer — is key to slowing norovirus spread

Minnesota has seen an increase in norovirus cases this winter. The illness causes vomiting and diarrhea.

People infected with norovirus often feel miserable for one to two days. In addition to “stomach bug” symptoms, people might have a fever, chills, headache, and muscle aches. The illness can come on quickly.

“It's gross, but it gets transmitted if we get vomit or stool – even just a tiny amount – on our hands and then put it in our mouth,” said Shannon Andrews, MD, a pediatric infectious diseases provider with M Health Fairview Pediatrics and an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School. “That's why it's really important to wash your hands after using the bathroom and before preparing food.”

Here are five things to know about norovirus.

Good hygiene can help prevent the spread.

Norovirus is a common illness that infects most people several times in their lives. Practice good hygiene to help prevent the spread because the disease is circulating again. 

Wash hands with soap and water – not hand sanitizer.

Since norovirus spreads easily through vomit and stool, good hand hygiene can help reduce the spread. Hand sanitizer isn’t effective against norovirus, so you need to rinse it off your hands. Wash your hands with warm, soapy water for 20 seconds before preparing food and eating and after using the restroom.

You can use a household bleach solution to disinfect surfaces.

If you care for others, wash hands thoroughly after changing diapers or cleaning up after them. Noroviruses spread quickly through daycare centers and residential communities. People usually feel better in a couple of days, but noroviruses can continue to spread in their stool for up to two weeks.

Norovirus can spread through food.

Norovirus can spread through food and beverages when someone infected with the virus prepares foods with unclean hands. If you can, avoid preparing food for others while you’re sick and for several days after you feel better. Make it a habit to always clean hands with soap and water before preparing food even if you’re not sick. You might not be aware that you have viruses on your hands.

Norovirus can also spread through shellfish that came from infected water. To reduce the risk, avoid consuming raw oysters. Steam them before eating.

Watch for signs of dehydration.

With vomiting and diarrhea comes an increased risk of becoming dehydrated, which is more than feeling thirsty. It’s a loss of body fluids. To prevent dehydration, sip water throughout the day and encourage kids to keep drinking water, even if they don’t feel like it.

“Small amounts frequently is best,” Andrews said. “Don’t chug it all at once.”

For mild dehydration, you might feel better after drinking water or sports drinks. Avoid alcohol and caffeine that can be dehydrating when you’re sick.

Severe dehydration might require hospitalization. Signs of dehydration include:

• Decreased need to urinate
• Dry mouth and throat
• Dizzy feeling, especially when standing up
• Lack of energy or feeling unusually tired
• Crying without tears

If you think you or a child is experiencing dehydration, go to an urgent care location or call your doctor or the M Health Fairview Nurse Triage Line at 1-855-FAIRVIEW for advice.

There’s no vaccine or cure for norovirus.

If you or a loved one has norovirus symptoms, you may be able to care for yourself at home. If you can, stay home, rest, and drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration.

Healthcare providers can test feces for norovirus to confirm diagnosis, but there isn’t treatment for it, so you won’t miss out on care if you aren’t tested, Andrews said. Antibiotics won’t work against norovirus since it’s caused by a virus and not bacteria. Several different virus strains can cause norovirus, so there isn’t a vaccine, and previous infection might not protect you against future strains.

“If you’re not sure if you need care, call your primary care doctor, your child’s pediatrician, or the nurse triage line,” Andrews said. “They can talk you through what you're seeing and whether or not that's bad enough to come in to be seen.”