'Winter Vomiting' Disease: How To Keep Yourself Safe From Norovirus

• comments
• 
• 

Norovirus outbreaks, otherwise known as "winter vomiting" disease, is on the rise and health officials want the public to take precautions.

The number of cases for the highly contagious virus that results in vomiting, diarrhea and gastroenteritis has "far exceed the number reported at this time in 2014," according to the California Public Health (CPH). It takes two weeks to recover from this disease, which is why it's better to make the necessary steps to prevent this from occurring.

"One of the most important things you can do to avoid norovirus and other illnesses this holiday season is to wash your hands frequently with soap and running water for at least 20 seconds," said CPH's Dr. Karen Smith, via Breitbart. "This is especially important after using the bathroom, changing diapers, and before preparing or eating food. Hand sanitizers are not effective against norovirus."

Here are other steps to avoid norovirus infection:

1) Be aware of your surroundings especially during these holidays when feasting is common. If you're enjoying a buffet, ensure that the food is handled properly, with the service staff wearing gloves, per Cleveland Clinic.

2) Food safety must also be practiced at home and the kitchen area must always be cleaned and disinfected with bleach. "There is only one really good effective way to clean, and that's with Clorox," said Dr. Herbert DuPont, per The New York Times. For dirty dishes, don't stick with hand-washing but load these up in the dishwasher for thorough cleaning.

3) If you're starting to feel a bit sick, it's best to stay off kitchen duties to keep the virus from spreading onto the rest of the household. In the same manner, if you work in the service industry, take a sick leave and focus on getting better.

4) If someone at home is already infected with the norovirus and you need to care for them, ensure that their food and eating utensils are not shared to others. Direct contact is the easiest and fastest way the virus spreads, per Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

5) Also, make sure that the infected person's clothes and bedding are washed separately and thoroughly and, if possible, wear rubber gloves when handling these too. Use the hot cycle for laundry and bleach when necessary.

6) Vacuum carpets and rugs as the virus can live in these surfaces for weeks, per Reader's Digest. If you have the budget for steam cleaning carpets, then this would also be a good option as the heat can kill the virus.