Norovirus Outbreak: Cases & New Variant

Norovirus is surging in Connecticut and across the country, and while that’s nothing new for the start of winter, a new, more contagious variant is causing communicable disease specialists to pay attention.

A norovirus variant called GII.17 was identified in 2022. Although it spread slowly at first, it has become the dominant strain in the United States.

“I wouldn’t wish this norovirus on anyone, because for those three days, you’re going to be in serious trouble,” said John Nwangwu, a public health professor at Southern Connecticut State University.

Norovirus is a gastrointestinal disease, transmitted through surfaces. The symptoms, which usually last about three days, rarely cause death, but the vomiting and diarrhea caused by the virus can dangerously dehydrate the patient.

The CDC tracks norovirus in 14 states, although Connecticut is not one of them. National data show that norovirus is increasing in areas across the country, and those outbreaks are expected to increase over the course of the winter.

“The occurrence of norovirus being evaluated in the hospital or clinics is not a good measure because many people will not want to go to the hospital or doctor when the symptoms of the virus start. (This) is because within three days, you start to feel better, and most people do not go,” Nwangwu said. “The best way to measure it is by the septic system, the wastewater.”

Stanford University runs a wastewater monitoring program, to which wastewater treatment plants send samples for testing. One of those treatment centers is located in Stamford, and according to the information, norovirus is spreading rapidly in Connecticut, with an “upward trend over the last 21 days.”

Scott Roberts said he is carefully monitoring his children for any signs or symptoms that may suggest a norovirus infection.

“I heard that in one of the classrooms at my son’s school, they had an outbreak of norovirus. So now I’m keeping an eye on my son’s symptoms,” said Roberts, an infectious disease specialist at Yale New Haven Hospital. “If my child gets sick, I would change my behavior considerably. I would clean the bathrooms with bleach, I would focus on cleaning the door handles, making sure I wash my hands diligently.”

Roberts admitted that he is not shy about his desire to avoid the disease, particularly when norovirus is on the rise.

“I’m incredibly neurotic. I don’t mind admitting it,” he said. “I hate having the noro.”

Roberts said the virus frequently spreads where people congregate, such as in schools, cruise ships, hospitals, nursing homes and restaurants.

“Anywhere there are a lot of people indoors, there is some type of contamination event,” Roberts said. “That’s why restaurants are so problematic.”

Although norovirus symptoms often last about three days, patients are still contagious at that point, which is one of the reasons norovirus spreads so easily. You only need to be exposed to a small amount of the virus to be completely contagious, Roberts said.

Because patients remain contagious for days after symptoms have subsided and only a minimal amount of the virus is needed to be shared between patients, restaurants become an ideal environment for norovirus.

“If I don’t wash my hands and use soap on every crevice of my hand, I can still spread it,” Roberts said.

Translation by Lizandra Mejías-Salinas.