Norovirus is often called—incorrectly—the cruise ship disease. It is actually very rare that someone comes down with norovirus on a cruise ship; the risk is far greater in a school, day care center, office building, restaurant, nursing home, and even a medical facility.

This is just one of the many fallacies about norovirus. The following is designed to clear up some misconceptions about this disease so we can better understand it and, hopefully, help prevent its spread. But first, let’s clarify what norovirus is. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

Norovirus is a very contagious virus that can infect anyone. You can get it from an infected person, contaminated food or water, or by touching contaminated surfaces. The virus causes your stomach or intestines or both to get inflamed. This leads you to have stomach pain, nausea, and diarrhea and to throw up. These symptoms can be severe for some people, especially young children, and older adults.

Now that we have a better understanding of what norovirus is and how it can impact our health, here are some other things we should know:

• Norovirus is the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis around the world.
• According to the CDC, about 20 million people in the U.S. come down with the disease each year.
• In the U.S., the risk of one of us getting norovirus annually is about 1 in 15. On a cruise ship, the danger of getting the disease is about 1 in 5,000 according to the Cruise Lines International Association.
• Those who come down with norovirus are typically sick from 3-5 days.
• Deaths from norovirus, even among children and the elderly, are rare, but they do occur.
• The disease is known as the vomiting disease because it causes forceful vomiting.
• When a person is ill with norovirus vomits, particles of the virus can travel as far as 25 feet from the incident, landing on a variety of surfaces including high-touch surfaces.
• While it is not fully understood why, norovirus is more common in the winter months than other times of the year.
• Touching a contaminated surface and then touching your eyes, nose, mouth or food can cause someone to get sick.
• Norovirus pathogens can live up to two weeks causing illness; in comparison, most virus pathogens only last one to three days.
• While billions of pathogens can become airborne and spread when someone vomits, it takes fewer than one hundred norovirus pathogens to cause someone to get sick.
• If you come down with norovirus, drink plenty of fluids to replace fluid loss. Contact a doctor if the symptoms are acute.
• There are no vaccines that can prevent norovirus or antibiotics to treat the disease. Usually, all that can be done is to help minimize the symptoms of the disease.

The Role of Cleaning in Preventing Norovirus

Proper cleaning is the most effective way to stop the spread of norovirus. While there are several steps involved, simply by covering the vomiting incident with absorbent spill pads is the first step in containing the disease. Follow this by disinfecting the immediate floor area as well as the surrounding surface areas up to 25 feet. By taking these steps, we can help remove norovirus pathogens and keep others from coming down with the disease.

For more information on the actual cleaning steps necessary to prevent the spread of norovirus, please read our blog, Spill Clean Up to Prevent the Spread of Norovirus . To speak with someone about ways to prevent the spread of norovirus in your facility, please call our customer service line at 866-517-0490.