Norovirus spreading at 'higher frequency' than expected in Canada
Norovirus is spreading at a “higher frequency” than expected in Canada, specifically, in Ontario and Alberta, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).
Norovirus is a common, highly contagious virus that causes nausea, vomiting, abdominal pains, cramps and diarrhea.
“The number of norovirus cases reported has been higher than expected in 2024 compared to the previous five-year historical average,” a PHAC spokesperson told CTV News Toronto.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Specifically, PHAC noted an increase in Ontario, Alberta and, to a lesser extent, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
The health agency acknowledged the five-year historical average the current uptick is based on includes several years of the COVID-19 pandemic, a time of reduced norovirus reports.
Dr. Susy Hota, Medical Director, Infection Prevention and Control at the University Health Network, said the pandemic is also a reason we’re seeing more cases.
“People are doing more social things and going on cruises and those kinds of exposures that are risks for getting norovirus,” Hota said.
“I think we're still going to see some changes in how common viruses behave because of the three years that people were doing less and interacting less.”
Toronto Public Health (TPH) and Public Health Ontario (PHO) do not track norovirus cases. However, TPH does survey outbreaks, localized increases in the rate of infection or illness, above what’s expected, in hospitals, long-term care homes, and retirement residences.
As of the most recent report on Thursday, there were three outbreaks reported in Toronto health-care institutions.
While we are seeing “a little bit more” norovirus this year compared to previous years, Hota said, “[it’s] nothing terribly unusual, just more than we would expect.”
What is norovirus?
Norovirus, also known as “Norwalk virus,” named after the first outbreak which took place in Norwalk, Ohio, entails diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, stomach pain, and cramping. Fever, chills, headache, body and muscle aches, and fatigue are some of the other symptoms.
It is the most common form of the stomach flu, accounting for more than 60 per cent of cases, according to the National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases.
How does norovirus spread?
Norovirus is transmitted through contaminated surfaces and close contact with infected people, but it also has a “hardiness,” as Hota characterizes it, that makes the virus highly contagious.
It's difficult to eliminate the virus from surfaces because alcohol-based hand gel is not as effective in killing norovirus, making hand washing the best defence.
After contracting the illness, it can take 12 to 48 hours to develop symptoms, which are usually at their worst in the first 48 to 72 hours, according to Hota.
“The thing is you're still infectious to others until about 48 hours after your stools have formed again, and the diarrhea stops,” she said.
What do you do if you get norovirus?
There is no treatment for norovirus that's specific to the infection. “Your body will take care of it,” Hota said. A health-care provider can diagnose the virus by taking a stool or vomit sample for laboratory testing, according to PHAC.
“It is miserable to go through those first 48 hours but the important thing is to keep hydrated,” Hota added.
Anti-nausea medication can be taken to alleviate some of the symptoms, but ultimately she said, just letting the infection “ride out” is the best course of action
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Very expensive lunch': Sask. driver says he got a cell phone ticket for using his points app in the drive-thru
A warning from a Saskatoon driver about using your fast-food app while in the drive-thru line — a trip to get some free lunch cost him a lot more than he bargained for.
Evacuees concerned over conflicting information on Fort Nelson wildfire
Evacuees staying in Fort St. John have expressed concern about how little they are hearing about what is happening in their now deserted city.
Insurance claims skyrocket and tensions remain high after slew of natural disasters
According to new data released by Statistics Canada, the cost of catastrophic insurance claims in Canada between 1983 and 2008 was $400 million each year.
DEVELOPING Slovakia's populist prime minister shot in assassination attempt, shocking Europe before elections
Slovakia's populist prime minister, Robert Fico, was shot multiple times and gravely wounded Wednesday after a political event in an attempted assassination that shocked the small country and reverberated across Europe.
B.C. YouTuber ordered to pay $350K for 'relentless' online defamation campaign
An 'unrepentant' YouTuber has been ordered to pay $350,000 in damages as compensation for a 'relentless' campaign of defamation waged online against a business owner and his company, the B.C. Supreme Court has ruled.
Why the speech by Kansas City Chiefs kicker was embraced at Benedictine College's commencement
Kansas City Chiefs' Harrison Butker may have stirred controversy in some quarters for his proclamations of conservative politics on Saturday, but he received a standing ovation from graduates at the Benedictine College commencement ceremony.
Ontario's 'Crypto King' Aiden Pleterski arrested
Of the $40-million Aiden Pleterski was handed over two years, documents show he invested just over one per cent and instead spent $15.9 million on "his personal lifestyle." The 25-year-old Oshawa, Ont. man was arrested and charged with fraud and money laundering on Tuesday.
U.S. intelligence officials wanted to meet with Transport Canada's UFO 'lead'
Canada's transportation department had a UFO 'lead' who tried to 'quell' media interest and planned to meet with U.S. intelligence officials.
'The Fly' has become notorious in France after a brazen escape. What's his criminal history?
A prisoner nicknamed “The Fly” has become notorious in France overnight after a daring and bloody escape from a prison convoy in Normandy that left two guards dead.