MAYVILLE – During the holiday season, The Chautauqua County Department of Health & Human Services is warning residents that food-borne illnesses from noroviruses are being noted throughout the county.
Health officials are telling residents to take care of yourself, your loved ones, and your customers by correctly handling cold foods, washing hands frequently, wearing gloves where indicated, and staying home from work when sick.
Norovirus – often simply called the stomach bug – is a highly contagious illness caused by infection with a virus called norovirus. It is often called by other names, such as viral gastroenteritis, stomach flu, and food poisoning.
Norovirus infection causes acute gastroenteritis (inflammation of the stomach and intestines); the most common symptoms are diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain. It is the most common cause of acute gastroenteritis in the United States. Anyone can get norovirus, and they can have the illness multiple times during their lifetime.
Noroviruses are highly contagious, and outbreaks are common due to the ease of transmission. People can become infected by Eating food or drinking liquids that are contaminated or touching surfaces or objects that are contaminated and then placing their hand in their mouth.
There is no specific drug to treat people with norovirus illness.
Rehydration is important for infected people—they must drink plenty of liquids to replace fluid lost when sick.
For more information, visit www.cdc.gov or contact the Chautauqua County Department of Health & Human Services at 1-866-604-6789.
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