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Cases of norovirus are rising this winter – with families who’ve caught the bug urged to ‘stay off school or work’. Norovirus – dubbed the ‘winter vomiting bug’ – causes various symptoms including vomiting and diarrhoea. Despite being unpleasant, it usually goes away by itself after a couple of days. The NHS website states: “Stay off school or work until you have not been sick or had diarrhoea for at least two days. This is when you’re most infectious. Do not visit hospitals or care homes during this time.”
Those with the bug may also experience a high temperature, a headache and aching arms and legs. The symptoms usually start suddenly, within one to two days of being infected. Normally, norovirus can be treated at home by resting and having lots of fluids.
The bug can be caught via close contact with some with norovirus, touching surfaces or objects that have the virus on them and then touching your mouth or by eating food that has been prepared by someone with the bug.
This includes linen or surfaces contaminated with vomit or diarrhoea from a person suffering from norovirus. The NHS advises handling contaminated linen and clothing with gloves, if possible, and washing them with detergent at a scorching 60C. The best way to stop the virus spreading is by washing your hands frequently with soap and water — alcohol gels, such as hand sanitiser, do not kill Norovirus.
Those who have contracted the vomiting bug are advised to stay off work or school until they have not experienced any vomiting or diarrhoea for at least two days. The NHS also urges those infected to not visit spaces with potentially vulnerable people such as hospitals or care homes, during this time.
Individuals normally start to feel better within two to three days, however, if your vomit starts looking like ground coffee, blood or gets a green or yellow-green tint, it’s best to seek urgent medical assistance. In a Government report released on December 1, research found that “this season, the increase in norovirus activity has begun earlier than usual and reporting is continuing to rise across all age groups, particularly in adults aged 65 years and over”.
Norovirus activity remained high in the two weeks from November 18 to December 1, with total norovirus laboratory reports between weeks 47 and 48 of 2024 more than double the five-season average for the same two week period in the years from 2016/2017 to 2023/2024.
The number of norovirus outbreaks reported to the Hospital Norovirus Outbreak Reporting System (HNORS) since the start of the 2024/2025 season is 27.4 per cent higher than the five-season average.
