Norovirus is spiking in the US: What do we need to know?

The CDC has already reported a significant rise in clusters of infections, just two months into norovirus season.

Norovirus is spiking across the United States this winter. Also referred to as the “winter vomiting bug”, norovirus is a highly contagious virus that spreads via contaminated surfaces, food and water, and close contact with infected individuals.

Here’s what to know about the virus, how it spreads and the current outbreak in the US.

Norovirus is the cause of 58 percent of food-borne illness in the US.

It is sometimes known as the Norwalk virus, named after the first strain of norovirus identified in Norwalk, Ohio in the 1970s.

The norovirus belongs to a family of small RNA viruses called Caliciviridae, which cause infections in their hosts, including humans and animals such as pigs, cows, rabbits and dogs.