PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — According to CDC data, the northeast region of the country, which includes Pennsylvania and New Jersey, currently has the highest positivity rate for a nasty little stomach bug called norovirus. KYW Medical Editor Dr. Brian McDonough says it’s very contagious — and very aggressive this time of year.
“The way it spreads is through contaminated surfaces, foods, when people shake hands, touch each other, cough, whatever. All those things spread it,” McDonough said. All it takes for transmission of the virus is to touch a contaminated surface, shake someone’s hand, or even just have a close conversation.
“This virus is one of those ones where, if it's on a surface, it's a problem.”
The CDC says the northeastern United States has the highest percentage of positive tests — above 13% in the past couple of weeks.
It can cause vomiting, diarrhea, gastro-intestinal problems and stomach pain. Because of the vomiting and diarrhea, medical experts say the primary concern is dehydration, especially for patients who are very old or very young.
“If you have diarrhea and you're vomiting and stuff, you lose a lot of fluids fast,” McDonough said. “Plus, with norovirus, you really don't want to eat. So now you're not taking anything in. So you’ve almost got to push the fluids.”
McDonough says the best defense against the virus is soap and water.
“You really want to wash your hands … and do whatever you can do to reduce the chances of getting the virus in your system.”