Norovirus (Norwalk)
Audrey Brown-Sissoko
SCI/163
October 17, 2013
Kate Toohig
Norovirus (Norwalk)
Quietly lingering on doorknobs, children’s toys, or the next gourmet meal you eat, the Norwalk virus patiently waits for the opportunity to transfer its agonizing gastrointestinal (GI) infection to any unsuspecting man, woman, or child. “No one is safe or excluded from the Norwalk virus’s extremely contagious nature, however, it does have an unnerving predilection for school-aged children, the elderly, the immunocompromised, and the inhabitants of third world countries” (CDC, September 2012, para 2).
“Norovirus- are a group of viruses that cause inflammation of the stomach and long intestine lining (gastroenteritis); they are the leading cause of gastroenteritis in the United States. The norovirus was originally called the Norwalk virus after the town of Norwalk, Ohio, the location of the first confirmed outbreak in 1968 at Bronson Elementary School “(Beth B., December 2010, para 2).
Norovirus is transmitted through the fecal-oral ( feces meaning “stool” and oral meaning”mouth”) route (Anna S. Christie, 2009, p. 1).This means you have to swallow the virus particles contained in the feces or vomit of someone who has the virus: it is possible that a food handler with Norovirus touches your food (that is not cooked) with dirty hands and then you eat it. This is one form of food poisoning.
The symptoms, duration, and treatment of Norovirus are sudden and the effect will last for days. Diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, stomach pain, fever, headache, and body aches are some of the symptoms that will happen when you have been bitten by the Norovirus bug. The” incubation period for Norovirus infection is usually 24 to 48 hours after first exposure to the virus, and signs and symptoms usually last one to three days” (CDC, April 2012, para 1). You may continue to shed virus in your feces for up to three days after recovery. There is no specific treatment...