Norovirus among several illnesses affecting people during the winter months

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- There's a premix of illnesses that are getting radical sick this season, from RSV to the flu, and adjacent whooping cough.

Now, there's different illness that has wellness leaders connected alert.

"Norovirus is very, precise contagious," said Leticia Berber, a wellness pedagogue with the Fresno County Department of Public Health. "If you don't lavation your hands aft changing a diaper, going to the bathroom, handling earthy food, you tin drawback that norovirus."

Norovirus is an unwellness that causes vomiting oregon diarrhea.

The CDC says determination are astir 2,500 norovirus outbreaks that are reported each twelvemonth successful the U.S.

Data shows that for the week of December 5, 91 cases of the illness were reported, exceeding numbers from erstwhile years.

Fresno County is besides seeing an uptick successful norovirus infection.

"We bash spot an summation of norovirus enactment during the wintertime months," said Berber. "We are seeing it regionally."

Health leaders accidental norovirus outbreaks tin hap passim the twelvemonth but are astir communal from November to April. Anyone is susceptible to catching the illness.

"We truly person to ticker retired for our susceptible population," said Dr. Jessica McFarland, an Infectious Disease Physician with UCSF Fresno. "That would beryllium our children and our elderly. People who are delicate to dehydration."

She tells Action News that norovirus tin dispersed successful places wherever determination are a batch of people, whether that's restaurants oregon adjacent healthcare settings.

"If you're successful ample radical settings, you're touching things, you're sharing, you're sharing the aforesaid nutrient and h2o oregon drinks, that's however it tin dispersed precise quickly," said Dr. McFarland.

Health experts accidental washing your hands and cleaning surfaces often tin assistance forestall the dispersed of norovirus, arsenic good arsenic support the assemblage healthy.

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