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Norovirus

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Norovirus - the Winter Vomiting Bug - Is New But With Same Old Problems

Detected last year in Australia, a new strain of Norovirus is sweeping across Georgia and the U.S.

  Although the flu is on everyone’s minds this season, the winter vomiting bug, or the norovirus, is making its rounds. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the norovirus causes about 70,000 hospitalizations and 800 deaths each year, mostly in young children and the elderly. Some of the virus' common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pains. The CDC points out that the norovirus is often referred to as the stomach flu, but it is unrelated to influenza. Many people in Athens are reporting the symptoms associated with norovirus, especially families with children. Many public school classes have been flattened by the disease. A new norovirus strain, GII.4 Sydney, was detected last year in…

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