Norovirus outbreak in US: Here's everything to know about gastrointestinal illness

The highly contagious norovirus is a frequent gastrointestinal illness that induces vomiting and diarrhoea and it is rising once more in the United States amid the holiday season. 

The people who have experienced it previously are aware of how awful it can be.

Although norovirus can infect anyone and spreads throughout the year, outbreaks are most frequent in the winter.

A norovirus outbreak that occurred recently in North Carolina garnered media attention when over 240 patrons of a Raleigh sushi restaurant reported feeling unwell. According to a statement, the Wake County Health Department in North Carolina identified three instances of norovirus connected to the nearby eatery.

Last month, health officials in Evanston, Illinois, also investigated a norovirus outbreak connected to a dollar-burrito event for students at Northwestern University, NBC Chicago reported.

According to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, norovirus is the main culprit behind outbreaks of foodborne disease in the country.

A class of viruses known as noroviruses is responsible for acute gastroenteritis, or inflammation of the stomach and intestines, which results in cramping in the abdomen, vomiting, and diarrhoea.

Despite being referred to as the “stomach flu” frequently, norovirus is unrelated to influenza viruses, which cause the flu. However, a lot of Americans get sick from norovirus each year, just like from the flu.