If your spouse, neighbor, co-worker, or child teacher has a stomach bug, be careful. The highly contagious norovirus is ramping in South Florida.
The norovirus has torn the US this winter, peaking early in some parts of the country, but has been entrenched in South Florida for the past few weeks. The symptoms you set will arrive approximately 12-48 hours after convulsions, diarrhea, vomiting, fever, dizziness and fatigue, and after exposure to viral particles. On average, one norovirus infects the other 2-7 people.
“It’s a difficult disease that needs to be addressed,” said Dr. Maria Garcia, an emergency medical doctor at Baptist Health, South Florida.
Garcia has seen firsthand what Florida wastewater data confirms over the last 21 days. Norovirus levels in the state are high. Federal surveillance data only show outbreaks reported in Florida by the end of January. Florida, like most of the South, had higher levels than before January 31st, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
The virus was caught by Fort Lauderdale’s Leslie O’Shea, who said he missed three days of work due to symptoms last week. She slept on the bathroom floor and felt she was having trouble getting up.
“This has been my illness for a long time,” she said.
A similar experience fills up social media posts, with photos of people in bed declared, “I don’t want norovirus from my worst enemy” and “This virus is straight from the hellish hole.”
Experts say the surge in cases is driven by a new dominant strain of norovirus called Gii.17 (p17). The weakened population immunity against this new strain can explain this year’s harsh wave of virus.
According to the CDC, the new stock is linked to the 2025 cruise ship outbreak.
In fact, proximity to South Florida’s cruise ports could be exacerbating the spread. The outbreak occurred due to nine voyages departing or docking in Florida this year, according to the CDC’s Ship Sanitation Program. Seven have been confirmed to be noroviruses. Passengers exposed to the norovirus often stay overnight in Florida and travel to local airports.
So, what should we do?
Medical experts want Floridians to know that hand sanitizers won’t kill norovirus. You need to thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water.
Noroviruses are also difficult to kill on the surface, where they can live for days to weeks. If someone in your home vomits in the bathroom, you should clean all contaminated surfaces with disinfectant (usually bleach). The virus can also spread through contaminated food.
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Dr. Indulekha Gopal, medical director of infectious diseases at Broward Health North, said: “The main way that spreads is to become people and not wash your hands properly.”
According to medical experts, here’s what you need to know:
You don’t need many viruses to make someone sick. Only small particles are required to pass through infection.Doctors recommend that adults and children maintain hydration with Pedialyte. “Pedialyte is less stomach irritating than Gatorade, and people are better able to tolerate it,” Gopal said. “Make sure to drink it frequently.” Dehydration can lead to other symptoms, such as dizziness.Zofran or acid-fast medications may be necessary to prevent vomiting and fluid loss and to allow you to take fever-reducing agents. But Garcia from Baptist Health in South Florida said anti-adjuvant breast medication can be difficult. “Some bacterial infections present similar symptoms and worsen anti-glycosylated drugs. You need to discuss it with your health care provider,” she said. “My recommendation is to avoid them.”Masking is useless as you can’t get norovirus from people who cough or sneeze.Norovirus symptoms usually last for 1-3 days.After feeling better, you can spread the norovirus for a few days. “If you were preparing food a few weeks ago and eating norovirus, you may still be falling out, so you may be following strict hand hygiene protocols,” Gopal said.
Most people get better after a few days. But not everyone.
“If you’re dizzy and weak and your vomiting is out of control, you may need to seek medical attention,” Gopal said. “Dehydration can be problematic for young children, elderly people, and people with immunocompromised.”
There is no antiviral treatment for norovirus. There are no vaccines at the moment, but drug manufacturer Moderna is working on one. Norovirus vaccines require educated speculation about which strains may circulate in a particular year, the same concept behind the annual flu vaccine.
Garcia added that it is possible to take norovirus multiple times during the season.
“If you have multiple strains around you, you might have had the virus and created immunity on one strain, and someone around you with another strain around you, and you’ll get infected again,” she said. “That’s why washing your hands is so important.”
