During respiratory illness season there a more graphic, yet shorter-lasting virus making the rounds especially among kids: Norovirus.
What is Norovirus?
“Norovirus is a viral infection, most people refer to it as the stomach flu. But it’s a distinctly different virus than influenza,” says Doug Kasper, MD, an infectious disease specialist with OSF HealthCare. “It’s acquired by contact, meaning you touch it. Then it gets from outside your body, usually in through your mouth, and then into your GI (gastrointestinal) system.”
Norovirus symptoms and concerns
“Symptoms usually come on very quickly. Roughly a day or two after exposure, the person will notice gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, abdominal pain, bloating pain, gas and diarrhea,” Dr. Kasper says. “Most people that don’t have an…