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It ’s a story all too many people bed : You wake up up with a gastralgia and soon find yourself stuck in the bathroom , combat sickness , abdomen cramps , puking and diarrhea . Within a day or two , everyone in the house is showing the same symptoms . These fast - circulate binge of gastrointestinal distress are often caused bynorovirus , colloquially known as the " stomach hemipteron " or " stomach flu . "
Norovirus is extremely contagious and the leading crusade of foodborne sickness in the United States , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) . The virus spread easily through direct inter-group communication with an septic person or with contaminated surface , even after the infected mortal ’s symptoms have passed . Though cases tend to rise in fall and winter when people gather indoors in snug quarter , anyone can contract norovirus at any time of the class .
Norovirus, also known as the “stomach bug,” spreads year-round but often peaks in fall and winter.
Neutralizing , or " killing , " any norovirus that ends up on people ’s hands or on surfaces helps to curb the spread of the illness . So what ’s the in effect way to kill norovirus ?
wash your hand with goop and water is the best way to get rid of the virus , Dr. Robert Hopkins Jr. , aesculapian managing director of the National Foundation for Infectious disease , tell Live Science . clean hard surfaces , such as countertops , with bleach - base solution can also countervail the virus and thus prevent it from circularize to others .
Related : Here ’s the best style to protect yourself from a norovirus outbreak
However , one common cleaner does n’t work against norovirus : alcohol - based hand sanitizer . That ’s because alcohol - base cleansers are only effective against certain types of viruses , known as " enveloped " computer virus .
Allvirusescontain genetic cloth — namely , DNAorRNA — enclose in a protein coating call up a capsid . Some viruses , such as the culprits behindinfluenzaandCOVID-19 , also have a protective outer " gasbag " called a phospholipid bilayer , which is similar to the membrane that surrounds human cells . Without this gasbag , these virus ca n’t attach to or infect host cubicle . Alcohol - ground cleansers neutralize virus by step in with that outer gasbag , rendering the computer virus sluggish .
But inebriant - found helping hand sanitizers , cleaners and cleansing wipesdon’twork against non - enveloped virus , such as norovirus . Non - enfold computer virus do n’t have or need a phospholipid bilayer , and they can live much longer on Earth’s surface without invading a host cell . ( Norovirus can survive for days or weeks on surfaces , count on the surface eccentric . )
alcoholic drink ca n’t break through the protein capsid of these viruses as easily as they do phospholipid bilayers , so counterbalance non - enveloped virus command unlike cleaner , such assoap or bleach .
As a person rinse their deal , the soap surrounds the viral particles and physically washes them off the skin . " Georgia home boy itself is very effective at disrupting capsules of almost any case of cell . If you put enough soap on your peel , you ’re going to break the tegument barrier . Same with bleaching agent , ” Hopkins said . That ’s why frequent handwashing can sometimes lead to dry skin .
cleanup control surface require an even strong cleanser , such as bleach , to totally inactivate the virus .
Once someone contracts norovirus , they have to let the contagion go its course — there are no available antiviral treatments for it , and antibiotic wo n’t aid because they plow bacterial infections , not viral ones . The CDC recommendsthat masses who catch the stomach bug drink plenitude of fluid to foreclose drying up and stay away from others while they ’re pale , as well as for two day after their symptom resolve .
" When we do n’t have specific antiviral , then I mean it ’s even more crucial that we do what we can to preclude infection , rather than having to do by those symptom , " Hopkins say Live Science .
— Here ’s how norovirus takes hold in your gut — and does n’t let go
— What ’s the difference between a cold and the flu ?
— How does norovirus get into oysters ? ( It ’s moderately gross )
To protect yourself and others from norovirus , the CDC recommendsfrequent handwashing with soap and water , especially after using the bathroom , before preparing or handling food , and before and after caring for someone who is sick . If a family member or roommate falls sick , disinfect contaminate surfaces with a whitener solution and wash soiled clothing in hot weewee . TheCDC has a video detailing how to do this aright .
There ’s grounds that norovirus particlesmay possibly spread through the airin health - charge preferences , and that purge canproduce airborne particles . So in connective with hand-wash and disinfecting measures , wearing a face mask may also help oneself to melt off transmission , as suggest in a 2022 report in the journalEmerging Infectious Diseases .
" If you are sick , whatever your symptoms are , stay away from others , " Hopkins said . " You do n’t require to air what you have , whatever it may be . "
This article is for informational purposes only and is not mean to offer medical advice .
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