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14,000 people recently infected

more than 130,000 medical visits

the taiwan authorities' centers for disease control and prevention said on september 3 that from august 25 to august 31, more than 14,000 people in taiwan visited outpatient clinics and emergency departments due to enterovirus infection, and nearly 130,000 people developed diarrhea. the number of visits is on the rise, indicating that enterovirus is in an epidemic period.the number of people reached a record high in the past five yearsaugust 30th coincided with the start of the school year for most primary and secondary schools in taiwan, and some doctors called on students and parents to take precautions.

the agency revealed that according to laboratory monitoring over the past month,enterovirus positivity rate is still risingmost cases are mild, but five cases of enterovirus infection complicated by severe symptoms have been found this year. the enterovirus epidemic did not end with the end of summer vacation, which is "very unusual". it is estimated that the epidemic will enter a downward trend after the mid-autumn festival.

many schools and classes were suspended for a week due to students being infected with enterovirus. a taiwanese doctor said that after school started, in addition to clusters of enterovirus cases,students’ infection can easily lead to parents being infected, calling on parents to do their best to protect themselves and not to underestimate the impact of enterovirus.

more than 100,000 people visit the emergency room each week

winter vomiting disease is prevalent throughout the year

monitoring data from taiwan's centers for disease control and prevention show that a total of 129,536 people visited emergency departments for diarrhea in taiwan last week, a slight increase from 127,876 in the previous week, higher than the same period from 2019 to 2022, and an overall upward trend over the past five weeks.the test is mainly for viral gastroenteritis caused by norovirus。

the report also stated that taiwan has received a total of 98 reports of diarrhea clusters in the past four weeks, which is higher than the number of reports in the same period from 2019 to 2023.the most common places of occurrence are catering and accommodation (accounting for 84%)among them, there were 48 cases of positive pathogen tests, 29 of which were norovirus, accounting for more than 60%, followed by 14 cases of vibrio enteritidis, accounting for 29.2%.

taiwan's centers for disease control spokesman luo yijun said that diarrhea cases will only increase in the short term, not decrease, because september is the peak season in taiwan.mid-autumn barbecue season, the disease control department predicts that the infection situation will continue to rise, and there will be another peak after the mid-autumn festival. luo yijun called on everyoneplease pay attention to hand washing and food hygiene. fish, shellfish, seafood and meat must be cooked or grilled before eating.。

according to news reports on january 24, 2023, nearly 140,000 people in taiwan went to the emergency room for diarrhea in one week.

norovirus-induced diarrhea is prevalent worldwide and can occur throughout the year, with a higher incidence in cold seasons.winter vomiting disease, but now the seasonality is becoming less obvious. it has the characteristics of rapid onset, rapid spread and wide range of involvement.

is norovirus a new virus?

no.

norovirus is a common enterovirus and one of the most common causes of sporadic and global epidemic gastroenteritis.

each year10month to next year3moon, are all norovirus epidemicshigh season。

after being infected, patients will experience symptoms of acute gastroenteritis such as vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. among them, diarrhea is the main symptom in adults, while vomiting is the most obvious symptom in children.

this vomiting is not over yet.

some children vomit more than ten times a day. "they vomit everything they eat, even bile." some children not only vomit, but also have diarrhea, and in severe cases they may become dehydrated!

how does it spread?

there are several main ways that norovirus is transmitted:

fecal-oral route of transmission

eating or drinking food or water contaminated with norovirus; touching objects contaminated with norovirus and eating without washing your hands.

contact transmission

contact with patients infected with norovirus

droplet transmission

being in an unventilated room with an ill person and breathing in contaminated air (aerosols from feces or vomitus)

norovirussuper contagious。

when a patient vomits, hundreds of millions of noroviruses can be excreted, causing a new transmission infection, at leastonly 10 to 100 virus particles are needed。

so,if one case of norovirus infection is found in the class, it will often "knock down" a large group of people, or even "wipe out" the entire class.

bully the weak but not the strong

prefer to pick on "vulnerable groups"

norovirus is not selective about who you are. people of all ages are its targets.

however, its favorite prey are the old, weak and sick "vulnerable groups":

children, the elderly and people with immune deficiencies are not only more susceptible to infection, but their symptoms will also be more severe, the course of the disease will be longer, and it may develop into a serious illness!

in china, more than 80% of children have been infected with norovirus during their preschool years. about 15% of diarrheal problems in children under 5 years old are related to norovirus.

is there any specific medicine?

no.

at present,there is no specific medicine for norovirus, and antibiotics are useless.after infection, the main focus is on relieving symptoms and providing supportive treatment.

however, don't worry. norovirus infection is a self-limiting disease, and most symptoms are not severe, and generally you can recover in 2 to 3 days.

however, it should be noted that due to frequent vomiting or diarrhea,very rarely, patients may develop severe illness due to dehydration.therefore, once the child vomits and has diarrhea, electrolytes should be replenished in a timely and sufficient manner.oral rehydration salts。

for children who vomit everything they eat, doctors have a suggestion: drink small amounts of water multiple times, and don't drink too much at one time. this can reduce irritation to the stomach and reduce vomiting.

these situations

send to hospital immediately

● too weak to stand

● cannot be awakened or is difficult to awaken

● blood in vomit

● vomiting green bile

● suspected dehydration (no urine for more than 8 hours, dark urine, dry mouth, no tears)

● body temperature exceeds 40 degrees

if you have a baby at home, don't be careless.：severe cases or deaths usually occur in the elderly or young children. newborns may develop serious complications such as necrotizing enterocolitis after infection.

after infection, at home, what should i pay attention to?

after being diagnosed, do not go out within 3 days from the time you become ill to the time when your symptoms completely disappear. stay at home and isolate yourself, and do not spread the disease to others.

the child should use his or her own eating utensils and other daily necessities, and it is best to arrange an independent toilet.

the patient's residence should be ventilated frequently by opening windows to maintain indoor air circulation; while at home, try to avoid close contact with family members.

here are some special reminders:

when handling vomit and feces of patients, be sure to wear gloves and masks。

this virus is very "stubborn". medical alcohol can't do anything to it, and it needs to be disinfected with a stronger disinfectant.

after a person infected with the norovirus vomits, the vomit needs to be sprinkled with a chlorine-containing disinfectant such as "84 disinfectant" and covered with paper towels, rags, etc. for 30 minutes to kill the virus.

clean up the vomit afterwards to avoid infection.after disinfection，wash your hands carefully。

do these 4 things well

even if you can't prevent it, you should try your best to prevent it.

currently, there is no vaccine for norovirus.

moreover, this virus is easy to mutate. even if you have been infected with the norovirus, you still have to surrender the next time it changes its form and attacks again!

however, the absence of a vaccine does not mean that it cannot be prevented.

do these 4 things well to prevent norovirus from taking effect

①wash your hands

especially before eating and cooking, and after going to the toilet, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and running water.

②wash fruits and vegetables

fruits and vegetables that can be eaten raw should be washed carefully before eating, and fruits and vegetables are best peeled before eating.

③cook thoroughly

food must be cooked thoroughly. especially seafood such as oysters, it must be guaranteed! must! must! cook thoroughly!

④ avoid crowded places

try to avoid taking your children to crowded public places. remind your children that if a classmate vomits, they should leave the scene immediately and report to the teacher to reduce the possibility of infection.

i have been affected by it before. the feeling of vomiting can be summed up in one word: disgusting!

it's easy for the whole family to get sick together...

source: prevention world, haidian cdc, china news service, guangdong cdc