Recently, several children in a kindergarten in Luoyang developed vomiting and diarrhea symptoms on the same day, and were diagnosed with norovirus infection after hospital treatment. A week later, another kindergarten adjacent to the kindergarten also developed the same symptoms.
The Luoyang DISEASE control department determined that the incident was a cluster of norovirus infections to avoid further infection of the virus, and the Luoyang DISEASE control department carried out emergency closure control of two kindergartens.
Because of the new crown epidemic, parents are afraid when they hear the word "virus", so what is norovirus? What are the symptoms of infection? How should parents prevent this?
What is norovirus?
The name norovirus sounds a bit scary, but it is actually a common virus, but it is very contagious. Symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea can occur within 48 hours of infection.
After recovering from norovirus infection, there is still a risk of re-infection, and the virus is susceptible to infection in both adults and children.
Norovirus is a high incidence period in winter, so it is also called "winter vomiting disease".
How is norovirus transmitted?
Norovirus has many transmission routes, it can be transmitted through food and water, it can also be transmitted through the virus-carrying spray produced when vomiting, and it can also be transmitted when it comes into contact with contaminated items.
In this Luoyang collective infection incident, a childcare worker was infected because of improper protection when cleaning up the vomit of young children.
What are the symptoms of norovirus?
If the child develops nausea. Symptoms such as vomiting, abdominal pain, watery diarrhea, or symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle pain, fatigue, and loss of appetite may be norovirus infection.
Norovirus will generally lurk in the human body for about 12-48 hours and then attack, and will get better after 2-3, but if you are older, or have some underlying diseases, the recovery may be full.
How can norovirus infection be prevented?
There are currently no drugs or vaccines that can prevent norovirus infection, but we can do it daily in the following ways:
Wash your hands frequently
Frequent hand washing can effectively prevent viral infections. Wash your hands with running water for at least 20 seconds before meals and after using the toilet to develop good personal hygiene habits.
Dietary hygiene
Try not to eat raw or semi-raw food, especially seafood foods that are easily infected with norovirus, but also thoroughly processed and cooked.
Raw melons and fruits should be repeatedly cleaned, and drinking water should be boiled before drinking.
Isolation is required after infection
People infected with norovirus are isolated at home or in the hospital, depending on the situation, reducing close contact with other people, especially children, the elderly and adults cooking. Infected people need to be observed for a period of time after recovery before they can be in close contact with others.
Pay attention to environmental disinfection
The cd-operative department found norovirus in the environmental testing of two kindergartens in Luoyang, and norovirus was found in toys, toilets, water cups, etc.
Therefore, we need to use chlorine disinfectants to disinfect the environment in which norovirus infected people are located, especially in the environment of cluster outbreaks.
The excrement of infected persons should also be disinfected with chlorine-containing disinfectants. Special attention is also required during disinfection and cleaning, and disposable plastic gloves and masks must be worn to avoid direct or indirect contact with contaminants.
Although norovirus is strongly transmissible and infectious, it generally does not have severe illness after infection, and the duration is short, and there will be no sequelae after recovery, so you don't have to worry too much. Paying more attention to personal hygiene and washing hands frequently can effectively prevent infection.