Introduction
Especially in the winter months, an extremely unpleasant and virus-induced disease of the gastrointestinal tract spreads. An infection with the norovirus manifests itself in cramp-like stomach pain, gushing vomiting and watery diarrhea. The symptoms often last only a short time, but their severity is threatening and can be dangerous for small children and the elderly. There is no therapy against the virus, only the symptoms of the infection are treated. It is therefore all the more important to avoid infection with the virus.
What is the transmission path?
Noroviruses are transmitted through closer contact with sick people. The virus is excreted with stool or vomit, so contact with these body fluids is one of the main sources of infection. If hand hygiene is inadequate, the infected person can spread the virus in the household even after going to the toilet.
This type of infection is called smear infection. When vomiting, however, even the finest particles containing the virus are released into the air. Inhaling these droplets can also cause an infection (so-called droplet infection).
How long is a Norovirus infection contagious?
A norovirus infection is contagious as long as the symptoms persist. The duration of the acute illness is usually no more than two days, but can also be over after 12 hours. As a rule of thumb, increased hygiene measures should be applied for another two days, as viruses can still be excreted with the stool during this time.
In rare cases, the excretion can continue for up to two weeks. Two days after the end of the disease, however, is considered to be the point at which there is no longer any risk of infection. Before that, people who have professional contact with people (hospital staff, geriatric nurses, restaurant staff, teachers, educators, etc. ), as well as school and kindergarten children should stay at home for infection control reasons. This topic might also be of interest to you: Duration of a Norovirus disease
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