Your Guide To Doing Your Best To Avoid Getting Norovirus
Do you know what wasn’t on my Bingo card for 2024? Coming down with norovirus. There actually was an outbreak back in September that hit a cruise ship called the Arcadia, and one man died during that outbreak: 77-year-old Alan Forster, a retired teacher.
I wouldn’t wish getting norovirus on my worst enemy, because I’m trying to be above that this year, so let’s talk about all the things you can do to avoid getting it yourself since it’s really not fun to have at all, and it’s highly contagious.
Interestingly enough, there are various types of norovirus, so the CDC warns that just because you came down with it once doesn’t future-proof you from getting it again.
So, while you technically can develop a way to protect yourself against the different types of norovirus after coming down with it, nobody knows for sure how long that protection phase will even last, and that, my friends, is exactly why norovirus impacts people across so many different ages when outbreaks occur. Nobody is safe. Nobody.
According to the CDC, there are 2,500 reported outbreaks of norovirus across the United States in a given year, and this usually occurs when people who are infected come into direct contact with others, resulting in the spread of norovirus.
People who have norovirus can spread it through contaminated water, food, and surfaces.
The places where you’re most likely to pick up norovirus include cruise ships, healthcare facilities, catered events or restaurants, and childcare centers or schools.
So, how do you prevent such a highly contagious virus from impacting you? Well, frequently washing your hands with soap and water is the best practice.
The CDC says you should wash your hands with soap and hot water for a minimum of 20 seconds every time to combat norovirus.
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Another thing you should do is properly disinfect surfaces you come into contact with, wash all of your laundry in water that’s hot, wash all fruits and vegetables, and cook your shellfish quite thoroughly.
Fruits, lettuce, leafy greens in general, shellfish, and especially oysters are susceptible to norovirus.
“Norovirus is the leading cause of outbreaks from contaminated food in the United States. About 50% of all outbreaks of food-related illness are caused by norovirus,” the CDC explains.
“Most of these outbreaks occur in food service settings like restaurants. Infected food workers are frequently the source of outbreaks in food-service settings, often by touching ready-to-eat foods (such as raw fruits and vegetables) with their bare hands before serving them. However, any food served raw or handled after being cooked can get contaminated with norovirus.”
“Norovirus outbreaks can also occur from food that is contaminated at the source or on the farm. This can include oysters harvested from contaminated water, or fruit and vegetables sprayed with contaminated water in the field.”
You can view more information about norovirus directly from the CDC here and here.
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