Norovirus increasing both at national level and in several Provinces: PHAC

As reports of cases of the norovirus rising in the UK and the US make rounds, the Public Health Agency of Canada detailed that cases of the virus, which is reported to be highly contagious and causes a days-long stomach illness, have been on the rise on a national level and in certain provinces in Canada too.

Cases of the norovirus, regarded as the  “winter vomiting disease”, have been on the rise in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as on a national level since early January, the Public Health Agency stated to media outlets.

Symptoms of the virus include stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, and dehydration that can be unpleasant, and in some cases, deadly, media reports detail.

 “What we’re seeing are the numbers of infections returning to what was the normal baseline before the pandemic, stated PHAC spokesperson Anna Maddison, the data on the cases, however, was not presented by the agency due to the “preliminary nature” of the provincial reports of the virus.

The virus was kept in control in the past few years due to the safety precautions and preventative measures taken by people during the Covid-19 pandemic, “but as things have been relaxed, and things have opened up, and things are getting back to normal, we’re beginning to see [more cases], stated Lawrence Goodridge, a professor of microbiology at the University of Guelph to media outlets.

Both the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the UK Health Security Agency have also reported a sharp rise in cases of the virus in the US and the UK recently.