Norovirus is making headlines with record numbers of active cases in Ontario.
University students are no strangers to falling victim to viruses, especially since Canadian universities closed due to the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. Norovirus is a common—yet difficult to control and prevent—gastrointestinal illness. While norovirus is nothing new, this year the Public Health Agency of Canada reported a spike in norovirus above the five-year average.
Norovirus is now making its way through Canadian universities with its first stop being the University of Guelph (UofG). The CBC reported 255 active cases of the virus at UofG on Jan. 16, marking a 34 per cent increase in roughly seven days. The timing of the recent norovirus outbreak at UofG is in tune with the manifestation of the virus as it has a distinct winter seasonality despite appearing throughout the year.
Known as the stomach flu—although it bears no relation to influenza—norovirus is a highly contagious illness first described in 1929 and was later identified in 1968. Unlike coronavirus, which is a respiratory illness—norovirus targets the gastrointestinal region by causing inflammation of the stomach and intestines. Norovirus is the leading cause gastroenteritis worldwide, causing 90 per cent of outbreaks of epidemic gastroenteritis worldwide.
Norovirus transmission can be foodborne, waterborne, or ed through person-to-person . The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) encourages people to carefully wash their fruits and vegetables before eating and take extra precautions when cooking seafood to limit the likelihood of contracting norovirus. In of waterborne transmission, experts recommend allowing only safe drinking water to enter your body—yes, this includes washing lenses—and turning to bottled water when needed.
The danger of norovirus is partially due to the ease with which it can be spread from person to person, as seen in the sharp increase in cases at UofG. Experts say during peak shedding, five billion infectious doses might be contained in each gram of feces. To put this into perspective, that is enough to potentially affect the entire population of Asia.
The durability of the virus poses concerns for students as they frequent shared environments like residences, dining halls, and classrooms daily. Separating itself from other common viruses such as RSV—a contagious respiratory virus—or the flu, norovirus can linger on surfaces for upwards of 12 days.
Once an individual contracts norovirus, it usually takes 12 to 48 hours for symptoms to arise. While the prominence of certain symptoms varies by age, most individuals report symptoms of diarrhea, nausea, stomach pain, and vomiting, hence the nickname “winter vomiting disease.”
In a post-pandemic world, many students are already educated on precautions they can take to lessen their risk of contracting viruses. A recent report from the Ontario Ministry of Health encourages those in congregate living settings, like Queen’s students, to enforce proper hand washing techniques and be aware of engaging with another individual if either one of them is symptomatic.
While the virus only lasts about one or two days and doesn’t appear to have any long term health effects, individuals can remain contagious. Due to the length of contamination, the CDC suggests not handling food for others and waiting at least two days for symptoms to stop before entering shared areas where you could the virus onto others. For those who have contracted the virus, some experts suggest following the BRAT diet—consisting of bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast—to prioritize foods that are easy on the stomach.
As for what to expect of norovirus moving forward, experts say the outbreaks are likely due to normal virus trends returning to normal after the pandemic.
While the current norovirus outbreak doesn’t pose the same threat as COVID-19, enforcing some pandemic precautions such as—social distancing when appropriate, and consistently practicing vigilant hand hygiene—is to the advantage of students.
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