It’s now established worldover after coronavirus pandemic that news about public health and public health as a whole, is something to be taken seriously. United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has now flagged that norovirus cases have seen a spike in the US. It is not yet known what is causing the spike and the CDC is monitoring the situation.
The US typically sees norovirus outbreak in the winter. But this time significantly higher number of cases have been detected.
On December 5, the CDC detected 91 cases of norovirus in just 7 days. Back in 2020, even when the coronavirus pandemic had hit US, only two cases were observed in the same period.
In years between 2020 and 2024, the highest number of cases detected in the same period of the year were 56.
Media reports say norovirus outbreaks are being observed in pockets across the US. The virus is also regarded as one responsible for ‘stomach flu’ or ‘winter vomiting disease’.
More than 40 of the cases detected in the period in December 2023 (91) have been detected in the state of Minnesota. The state’s health department has said that the cases were twice the usual number.
“We want to make sure people are aware of this increase in norovirus outbreaks and taking steps to prevent spreading illness to family or friends,” said Jessica Hancock-Allen, the director of the infectious disease division at the Minnesota Department of Health. Her statement came just before Christmas.
