The Symptoms of Norovirus (2024)

FAQs

What are the symptoms of norovirus? ›

What are the symptoms? Common symptoms of norovirus infection include vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramping. Less common symptoms can include low-grade fever or chills, headache, and muscle aches. Symptoms usually begin 1 or 2 days after ingesting the virus, but may appear as early as 12 hours after exposure.

Stool color changes may vary from green, yellow, black, and tarry. Treatment for diarrhea and loose stools depend on the causes.

Norovirus causes an acute illness that commonly lasts 1 to 2 days for most people, although some people may be ill or feel the effects for up to 6 days. After the period of illness your body gradually gets rid of the entire virus. Norovirus is not known to create a long term 'carrier' state in a person.

Diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and stomach ache are the most common symptoms. Fever (usually low-grade), headache, and body aches are also reported.

Norovirus infection is usually diagnosed based on your symptoms, but noroviruses can be identified from a stool sample.

Many gastrointestinal conditions can cause foul-smelling diarrhea. These include: other infections, like norovirus.

It can be hard to tell the difference between norovirus (the most common cause of stomach flu) and food poisoning because both cause nausea, vomiting, and stomach pain.

There isn't a cure for norovirus. Treatment for the infection focuses on relieving your symptoms, which will go away in one to three days.

Norovirus cases and outbreaks are most common between November and April. “Norovirus is actually a seasonal virus ... and usually the peak within that window is between January and early March," Dr. Ericka Hayes, senior medical director of infection prevention at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, tells TODAY.com.

Additionally, filter-feeding shellfish such as oysters and clams present an elevated hazard because they ingest norovirus if it is present in surrounding water and concen- trate it to much higher levels.

Do you always vomit with norovirus? ›

The norovirus incubation period is about 12 to 48 hours. So if you get infected, you'll probably go from feeling completely healthy to absolutely miserable within a day or two after exposure. Typical symptoms include nausea, vomiting (more often in children), watery diarrhea (more often in adults), and stomach cramps.

Clinically, their symptoms are the same and you can't tell the difference between them unless you run a test. However, rotavirus and astrovirus are more common in children and norovirus is more common in adults.

There's often no specific medical treatment for viral gastroenteritis. Antibiotics aren't effective against viruses. Treatment first involves self-care measures, such as staying hydrated.

Norovirus illness usually begins 24 - 48 hours after exposure, but can appear as early as 10 hours after exposure. Symptoms usually include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramping. Sometimes people have a low-grade fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and a general sense of tiredness.

Food poisoning and the stomach flu can come with similar symptoms, like nausea and vomiting, but they're different conditions. Food poisoning is caused by food that's contaminated by bacteria, viruses, parasites, or toxins. The stomach flu is usually caused by norovirus.

There's no treatment for norovirus, so you have to let it run its course. You don't usually need to get medical advice unless there's a risk of a more serious problem. To help ease your own or your child's symptoms drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration.

However, the key distinction is time: The symptoms of a stomach bug will take 12 to 48 hours to develop, while the symptoms of food poisoning typically develop much faster, usually within 6 hours of consuming an infected dish. Another common difference between the two is the length of illness.