Norovirus is on the rise in Kentucky — how to prevent infection
The University of Kentucky Public Relations & Strategic Communications Office provides a weekly health column available for use and reprint by news media. This week’s column is by Nicholas Van Sickels, M.D., medical director for UK HealthCare Infection Prevention and Control.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 10, 2025) — Have you washed your hands recently? Proper handwashing is the number one way to prevent infection, which is especially important right now in Kentucky.
Cases of norovirus are on the rise, but there are some easy steps to take to stay healthy when infection rates are high.
The virus, often referred to as the “stomach bug” or “stomach flu,” causes acute gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach or intestines.
Symptoms to watch for
Norovirus often presents suddenly with symptoms like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pains.
Other symptoms may include fever, headaches and body aches.
Most people infected with norovirus are likely to feel very ill with continuous vomiting and/or diarrhea, which can cause dehydration. Dehydration is especially common for young children, the elderly and people with other chronic medical conditions.
Symptoms of dehydration may include:
- Decreased urination
- Dry mouth and throat
- Feeling dizzy when standing up
- Crying with few or no tears
- Unusual sleepiness or fussiness
How norovirus spreads
This virus spreads rapidly and can live on surfaces for long periods of time. The most common ways norovirus is transmitted are:
- Having direct contact with someone with norovirus.
- Eating food or drinking liquids contaminated with norovirus.
- Touching contaminated objects or surfaces and then putting your unwashed fingers in your mouth.
Norovirus is most contagious when you are feeling sick, and even for a few days after you are feeling better.
Steps to prevent norovirus
To protect yourself from norovirus, wash your hands thoroughly and often, handle food properly, clean and disinfect surfaces, and wash laundry well.
- Wash your hands:
- After using the bathroom or changing diapers.
- Before eating, preparing or handling food.
- Before giving yourself or someone else medicine.
- When handling food:
- Carefully wash fruits and vegetables well.
- Cook oysters and other shellfish thoroughly to an internal temperature of at least 145°F.
- Cleaning and disinfecting:
- Hand sanitizer does not work well against norovirus.
- Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
- To disinfect, use a chlorine bleach solution and let it sit for at least five minutes.
- Wash clothes and linens in hot water on the longest cycle length and machine dry on high.
If you are sick, try to isolate as best you can for up to two days after the symptoms stop. If your symptoms progress, reach out to your primary care physician or seek medical help.
UK HealthCare is the hospitals and clinics of the University of Kentucky. But it is so much more. It is more than 10,000 dedicated health care professionals committed to providing advanced subspecialty care for the most critically injured and ill patients from the Commonwealth and beyond. It also is the home of the state’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, a Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that cares for the tiniest and sickest newborns, the region’s only Level 1 trauma center and Kentucky’s top hospital ranked by U.S. News & World Report.
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