What To Know About A Highly Contagious Virus Spreading Across Illinois

It's not COVID, but it's no walk in the park either.

We're going into spring and with the shift in temperature, allergies and sniffles are already a problem for a lot of us. But there's a national outbreak that's causing more problems and according to the CDC, there's been an uptick in cases of it in the Midwest.

What It Is

It's called Norovirus and there's been an outbreak of it across the U.S. lately. It often spreads from November through April. It's especially risky for children and older adults. Those individuals need to get medical attention ASAP if they think they have it.

CDC info shows that there's been a steady climb in reported norovirus cases in the last few months and it spiked in the Midwest within the last month or so.

What To Look For

Symptoms of norovirus start showing up 12-48 hours after you've been exposed.

If you're throwing up your guts (and you didn't drink a lot last night) and you just can't stay off of the toilet, those might both be signs that you have norovirus. It's often called the 'stomach flu' (though it has nothing to do with the flu) or a 'stomach bug'.

You'll likely get it if you drink contaminated water or eat food that's been contaminated with it.

If you have it, you might also feel nauseous, have stomach pain, run a fever, or have a headache or body aches.

Watch for signs of dehydration too, in yourself and your kiddos if you think they might be sick. Drink plenty of liquids.

How To Prevent It

One interesting thing with norovirus, unlike COVID, is that experts are saying hand sanitizer doesn't really do anything to prevent it. Wash your hands really well (20 seconds with warm water) after going to the bathroom or prepping food.

You can get more details about norovirus and the outbreak on the CDC's website.