Highly Contagious Norovirus Spreading Rapidly In IL: What To Know

A nasty, highly contagious form of norovirus called “winter vomiting disease” is spreading across the country, including in Illinois, according to an analysis of wastewater at two surveillance sites in the state.

Norovirus cases typically spike after Christmas and New Year’s gatherings, but the number of new cases in November showed a notable increase, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

The CDC tracks norovirus through voluntary reporting from clinics and state health departments, but says such data is unreliable because most people who get it are miserable for a few days, but don’t seek medical attention or require hospitalization.

The agency doesn’t monitor viral activity in wastewater; however, data from WastewaterSCAN, an academic program through Stanford University in partnership with Emory University, shows that norovirus has been rising nationally since mid-October.

In Illinois, monitoring sites in Wheaton and Glen Ellyn are tracking the virus. Wheaton saw a large increase in cases the week of Nov. 10, while Glen Ellyn saw a spike just before Thanksgiving. But the holidays could bring even more cases; last year, cases of norovirus spiked massively in both cities in early January.

There are about 2,500 reported norovirus outbreaks a year, according to the CDC. Some health experts worry that the variant GII.17, which was responsible for last year’s spike, may have mutated and become more contagious.

The GII.4 strain dominated norovirus outbreaks for more than 30 years, but last year, the GII.17 mutation was responsible for about 75 percent of outbreaks, according to the CDC.

Dr. Robert Atmar, professor in the Department of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, told NBC News there are two possibilities: Either the virus changed to make it more transmissible, or changes in the population made more people susceptible.

“And probably it’s a combination of both,” Atmar said. “But whether it’s going to persist this year, I think, is one of the big questions in our scientific community.”

Symptoms of the GII.17 strain include forceful vomiting, intense diarrhea and stomach cramps that are especially hard on children under 5, adults over 85, and those with underlying health conditions, according to the CDC. Dehydration is a primary risk.

Because GII.17 is a new strain, people have less built-up immunity and may experience more severe illnesses.

“When new strains emerge, people are exposed to a strain that they have not previously been exposed to, and hence are more likely to get infected,” Lee-Ann Jaykus, a professor in the Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences at North Carolina State University, told Newsweek.

“Historically, new strains emerge every seven to 10 years, and we were due for one, so this is not surprising,” Jaykus said.

Vigorous hand-washing with hot water and soap and other good hygiene practices are crucial to limit the spread of norovirus. It spreads easily, either through direct contact with someone who is sick, eating food or drinking liquids contaminated with the virus, touching contaminated surfaces, and poor hand-washing.