Chennai: Norovirus, an animal-borne disease that causes gastrointestinal illness in humans, is among 13 students of a veterinary college in Wayanad district.
Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Friday asked people to be vigilant and issued guidelines to prevent the rare norovirus – a stomach bug. Kerala Health Minister said, “At present there is no cause for concern but everyone should be alert. Activities including super chlorination are underway. Drinking water sources need to be made clean. With proper prevention and treatment, The disease can be cured quickly.” Quoted by Hindustan Times.
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symptoms of norovirus
Stomach worms cause gastrointestinal illness, severe vomiting and diarrhea, and severe inflammation of the lining of the intestines. Norovirus can be easily transmitted to children and adults with comorbidities.
It can also spread through contact with infected people and touching contaminated surfaces.
treatment for norovirus
There is no specific treatment for norovirus infection and recovery depends on how immune a person is. It takes a few days for a healthy adult to recover. However, it can be prevented by keeping the surrounding environment clean.
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Kerala health ministry guidelines
The Health Ministry of Kerala on Friday issued guidelines for prevention of norovirus.
Here are the guidelines:
- People should wash their hands frequently and those who interact with animals should take special care.
- People infected with norovirus should rest at home, mostly keeping themselves hydrated with ORS and boiled water.
- People should use chlorinated water for domestic use and only boiled water should be considered for consumption.
- Seafood should be consumed after cooking it thoroughly while fruits and vegetables should be eaten only after washing them thoroughly.
- Storage tanks, drinking water sources and wells should be chlorinated with bleaching powder.
history of norovirus
This disease first appeared in 1929, when people called it ‘vomiting disease’. However, it was only in 1968, when norovirus was seen as a life-threatening disease, when an outbreak was observed in an elementary school in the United States. But, scientists focused on researching the virus only in the mid-1990s.
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