Feeding On Its Own Hungriness
Fascinating article about the Norovirus, aka the stomach flu…
Norovirus is Norwalk Virus, named for the Ohio town which in 1968 was home to the virus’s first identified outbreak and which no doubt do not include this information in its Chamber of Commerce literature. Often called “stomach flu” or “24-hour flu”, this awful malady has no relation to influenza virus, but has gained a reputation no less sinister in recent years. It is the agent responsible for innumerable cruise-ship “gastroenteritis” outbreaks and outbreaks at camps, state fairs, nursing homes, schools, and yes, even NBA locker rooms.
Anyone who’s experienced it can tell you it’s a bit like having all of your intestines’ pain receptors activated at once, with uncontrollable nausea and/or diarrhea added as a special bonus. When I was in high school, every so often I’d experience twelve hours of intense pain along with nausea so powerful that I’d feel the urge to hurl even when nothing was left. This was followed by 12 hours of utter exhaustion. Then, I’d feel pretty much normal again and go right back to school, no doubt perpetuating the cycle since victims shed virus for several days after they recover. I’m pretty sure that it was norovirus.
…This virus is responsible for about nine out of 10 “stomach flu” cases in the U.S., and is probably responsible for about 50% of the cases of what people call “food poisoning”. It takes fewer than 10 virus particles to make you sick, and the virus can be spread by sick people handling your food or water, or shaking your hand, or by you touching surfaces they’ve touched, or even by (I know, ewwww) aerosolization of their bodily fluids when they flush the toilet after a visit to the necessary room.
(click here to continue reading Misery-inducing Norovirus Can Survive for Months — Perhaps Years — in Drinking Water | The Artful Amoeba, Scientific American Blog Network.)