Norovirus patients increased by 3.6 times over 5 weeks... "Wash your hands and practice hygienic cooking"

The flu is raging, and these days there are really many patients with norovirus.

Norovirus is especially common among infants and young children aged 0 to 6 years.

Since there are no special vaccinations, hand washing is the most important, and please cook food thoroughly as much as possible~

 

▲ On the afternoon of January 6th, a pediatric specialty hospital in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, is crowded with patients and guardians seeking medical care.

The number of norovirus infections, which are common during the winter season, has recently increased significantly, prompting health authorities to urge the public to follow personal hygiene guidelines.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the results of the nationwide surveillance of major infectious diseases conducted at 210 medical institutions with over 200 beds each show that from December 22 to 28 last year, the number of norovirus patients was 291, a 3.6-fold increase over the past five weeks.

During this period, infants and young children aged 0 to 6 accounted for 58.5% of the total, requiring special attention from guardians.

Norovirus is a virus that causes acute gastroenteritis, with a very high infectivity, capable of surviving for three days in daily life, and has a short immunity duration, leading to possible reinfection.

When infected with norovirus, symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, chills, and fever appear within 12 to 48 hours.

The quarantine authorities emphasized that since there is no preventive vaccine for norovirus, basic hygiene practices such as handwashing and hygienic food preparation are the most important.

<Source: SBS News>