Can the Norovirus also be transmitted to animals?
According to current knowledge, humans are the only so-called pathogen reservoir of the norovirus. This means that the virus only infects humans and cannot be transmitted to animals. However, the fact that animals cannot become ill with the Norovirus does not mean that an infected person can cuddle with the house cat or dog without hesitation: It could indeed transmit pathogens to the animal’s fur, which then spreads them around the house and thereby transmits them to the other inhabitants of the household.
Can the norovirus be transmitted during the incubation phase, i.e. before symptoms occur?
The incubation phase, i.e. the period between infection and outbreak of the disease, is very short in the case of norovirus and usually lasts only a few hours to a maximum of two days. The affected person is not yet contagious during most of the incubation phase. But about one to two hours before the onset of symptoms, there may already be a risk of infection. For this reason, avoiding close contact with people who have recently come into contact with infected persons and may therefore be in the incubation phase is one of the most important measures to prevent transmission.
Can the Norovirus be transmitted by kissing?
Theoretically, the norovirus can also be transmitted by kissing. Especially during the acute phase of the disease, kissing infected persons should therefore be avoided – in view of the fact that norovirus infection is a diarrhea of vomiting, this is certainly not an advice that is too difficult to give. Once the symptoms of the disease have subsided, the risk of transmission during kissing is significantly reduced. However, there is still a residual risk, as those affected can still excrete virus particles up to two weeks after the end of the disease. Therefore, especially if toilet and hand hygiene is inadequate, there is still the possibility of transmission of the virus into the mouth area and consequently also when kissing another person.
