The Norovirus is an infection that causes either severe vomiting or painful diarrhea, if not both at the same time. Although it is called the Norovirus, there are actually multiple strains of the Norovirus that all lead to the same outcome. While it is more commonly known as the ‘stomach flu,’ it actually has nothing to do with influenza. The Norovirus is not only incredibly contagious, but it has caused over 20 million gastroenteritis cases within the US alone.
The Norovirus can strike throughout any time of the year, but they tend to happen more often during wintertime, which is also how it became known as the “winter vomiting disease.” Incubation period is said to be anywhere between 12 to 48 hours and worse yet, the person infected is usually highly infectious without even realizing it yet.
If you’ve never had Norovirus but feel you are asymptomatic, here are 9 signs and symptoms that will help you decipher whether you are coming down with this dreadful and very painful disease.
Number 1: Nausea
Nausea is explained as having the feeling like you want to vomit but have not actually expelled any food or liquids just yet. Since the Norovirus is a thriving bacteria in the system, your body’s normal response is to attempt to relieve itself of this microbe or infection in any means possible. While feeling nauseated may be one of the first signs you have the virus, should you actually be infected, it will turn into vomiting either within a few minutes of being contaminated, or in a few of hours.
