Jan 10, 2008 9:24 pm US/Central
Bad Bug: Protecting Yourself From Norovirus
Doctors Say There Are No Drugs To Treat So-Called "Cruise Ship Virus," But You Can Take Precautions
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
This is the cold and flu season. But CBS 2 Medical Editor Mary Ann Childers reports that there's another bad bug out there that can make you very sick, very fast.
It's called norovirus and doctors say it's roaring through the Chicago area.
It's been called the "cruise ship virus," because outbreaks of this stomach flu at sea have made big news. So have epidemics in nursing homes. The culprit behind most of these illnesses is the norovirus.
Dr. Evanston Anderson, with Northwestern Memorial Hospital's infectious diseases unit, said, "It is like a switch is suddenly thrown and all of a sudden you go to from feeling pretty well, to running as fast as you can to the closest bathroom."
Norovirus causes nausea, uncontrollable vomiting and diarrhea, and dehydration. You can have cramps, fever, chills, and muscle aches. It's incredibly contagious.
"You are at primary risk from fecal to oral transmission ... meaning ingestion of other people's stool," Anderson said.
That happens when someone who's infected does not wash their hands, touches food or surfaces, or has direct contact with others. Contaminated computer keyboards triggered an outbreak at a Washington, D.C., elementary school last year.
The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention says the virus may have lived on the keyboards for up to 48 hours. Many people, like Chicago photographer Maria Corley, are sickened by contaminated food.
"The energy level of even getting out of bed is so difficult," Corley said, adding that she was sicker than she had ever been in her life.
"The phone was ringing, and I couldn't reach for it. And then I would go back into a deep sleep. And it was a good 36 hours of that," Corley said.
For people with underlying health problems, heart disease, or on diuretics, norovirus can be life-threatening. In most people, symptoms last 24 to 48 hours, but this illness can leave you weak and wiped out for days.
Since the Illinois Department of Public Health started tracking norovirus two years ago, there have been 238 outbreaks involving 8,033 people, but most cases are never reported. Experts say 1 in 10 adults will get norovirus this year.
"You will have norovirus ... Sooner or later. By the time you're an adult, you will have norovirus at least once. But you'll get it again," Anderson said.
That's because there are hundreds of different strains of this virus, so it's almost impossible to build immunity. There are no drugs that treat it. About all you can do is try to stay hydrated and let it run its course.
Your only real defense is vigorous hand-washing. And even that won't protect you from contaminated food.
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