NOROVIRUS
- SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
News: Norovirus infection confirmed in two
school children in Kerala
What's
in the news?
●
Norovirus infection has been confirmed in
two schoolchildren in Ernakulam even as the Health authorities have stepped up
efforts to contain the disease spread.
Key
takeaways:
●
According to Health officials, though
Norovirus outbreaks are rarely serious,
it can spread fast if proper precautions are not taken.
Norovirus:
●
Norovirus is an animal-borne disease.
●
It causes gastrointestinal illness including inflammation of the lining of
the stomach and intestines, severe vomiting and diarrhoea.
Transmission:
●
Contaminated
water or food is the usual infective agent.
●
The virus spreads through the faecal-oral
route.
●
Infection occurs either through direct
consumption of contaminated food or via careless handling of food by an
infected person or caregiver.
Symptoms:
●
Diarrhoea, abdominal pain, vomiting,
nausea, a high temperature, headache and body aches.
Impact:
●
Norovirus does not significantly affect
healthy people, but it can be serious in
young children, the elderly and people with comorbidities.
Treatment:
●
No
specific treatment for the infection. Recovery generally
depends on the health of the immune system. In most people, the illness usually
resolves within a few days.