MASON CITY, IOWA - Nurses at Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa tell us some of the most common illnesses in the area right now are Norovirus, and Influenza strains A, B, and C.
Here's the detailed information provided by Mercy below.
Norovirus
What is Norovirus?Noroviruses are a group of viruses that cause gastroenteritis, commonly called "stomach flu". Like all other viruses they are not affected by treatment with antibiotics, and can’t grow outside of the person’s body.
What are the symptoms caused by Norovirus?
Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and some stomach cramping. At times people can also have a low-grade fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and over-all tiredness.
When do symptoms occur?
Symptoms begin suddenly, and generally appear about 24-48 hours after ingestion of the virus, however at times symptoms can occur within 12 hours of exposure. Symptoms generally last for 1-3 days.
How do people get Norovirus?
Noroviruses are found in the stool or vomit of infected people. People can become infected with the virus in several ways, including:· Eating food and drinking liquids that are contaminated with the virus.
· Touching surfaces or objects contaminated with Norovirus and then placing their hand in their mouth.
· Having direct contact with someone else who is ill with Norovirus, or by sharing food or eating utensils with them.
· Some people may be contagious for as long as 2 weeks after symptoms have left.
· Frequently was your hands, especially after going to the bathroom, changing diapers, and before eating or preparing food.
· Carefully wash fruits and vegetables and steam oysters before eating them.
· Thoroughly clean and disinfect contaminated surfaces immediately after an episode of illness by using a bleach-based household cleaner.
· Immediately remove and wash soiled linen or clothing that may be contaminated with virus after an episode of illness. (Use hot water and soap).
· Flush or discard any vomitus and/or stool in the toilet and make sure that the surrounding area is kept clean.
· Persons who are infected with Norovirus should not prepare food while they have symptoms and for 3 days after they recover from their illness.
· Food that may have been prepared or contaminated by an ill person should be disposed of properly.
What can be done to prevent the spread of Norovirus?
There are many things that can be done to help prevent the spread of Norovirus. Some of these are:
· Frequently was your hands, especially after going to the bathroom, changing diapers, and before eating or preparing food.
· Carefully wash fruits and vegetables and steam oysters before eating them.
· Thoroughly clean and disinfect contaminated surfaces immediately after an episode of illness by using a bleach-based household cleaner.
· Immediately remove and wash soiled linen or clothing that may be contaminated with virus after an episode of illness. (Use hot water and soap).
· Flush or discard any vomitus and/or stool in the toilet and make sure that the surrounding area is kept clean.
· Persons who are infected with Norovirus should not prepare food while they have symptoms and for 3 days after they recover from their illness.
· Food that may have been prepared or contaminated by an ill person should be disposed of properly.
Influenza A, B, and C
What is Influenza A, B, and C?
(And what is the difference between them?)
Influenza is a virus that attacks the respiratory system of between 5-20% of people in the United States each year. There are three types of influenza viruses: type A, type B, and type C.
Influenza A viruses are divided into subtypes and can be broken down into different strains. There are approximately 26 subtypes, including the 2009 H1N1 influenza A. Typically influenza A is the flu virus that is associated with epidemics (local outbreaks).
Influenza B viruses are not divided into subtypes, but can be broken down into different strains. Influenza B can be, but are rarely, associated with flu epidemics.
Influenza C viruses are generally thought to have milder symptoms that cause mild respiratory illness and are not thought to cause flu epidemics.
When is the risk of Influenza the greatest?
Seasonal influenza season often runs from November through May, with the peak month being the month of February when nearly 50% of the cases occur.
Approximately 200,000 people are hospitalized annually and 36,000 people die from respiratory flu related cases annually in the U.S.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms include fever, headache, extreme tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle aches, and at times gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
When do symptoms occur?
People who are infected with influenza can spread the infection beginning one day before they have symptoms themselves and for up to 5-7 days (at times 10 days) after becoming ill.
How is influenza spread?
An infected person mainly spreads flu viruses from person to person through coughing or sneezing. At times flu virus can be spread when someone touches something that has the virus on it, and then touches his or her mouth or nose.
What can be done to prevent the spread of influenza?
Good hand washing, covering your cough/sneeze by coughing/sneezing into your arm. When ill, stay home from school or work, if at all possible, to prevent spread of flu virus to others.
Obtaining seasonal flu vaccination every year is important to help prevent influenza. The seasonal flu vaccination includes the influenza A and B viruses, but not influenza C.
Who should not be vaccinated against seasonal flu?
Some people should not be vaccinated without first consulting their physician. They include:
· Children less than 6 months of age (influenza vaccine is not approved for use in this age group).
· People who have a moderate or severe illness with a fever should wait to get vaccinated until their symptoms lessen.
People who have a severe allergy to chicken eggs.
