Working to prevent norovirus

APPLETON - The upper respiratory flu isn't the only illness going around Northeast Wisconsin.  Doctors say the norovirus, which is often mischaracterized as the "stomach flu," is spreading misery this season.

Unlike influenza you don't catch norovirus through the air.

"You actually have to touch where the organism is lying and ingest it," said Miki  Gould an assistant infection preventionist for ThedaCare. 

And once you ingest it, norovirus wreaks havoc on your gastrointestinal system.  Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea and fever.

Gould  told FOX 11 the illness is spreading quickly in the Fox Valley.

"You don't need as much antigen to spread norovirus as you do influenza," said Gould.

Doctors have said there are about 63% more cases this year than last. 

And FOX 11 did a fact check and found that according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention norovirus causes 49% of foodborne illness.

So local restaurants are being extra vigilant to stop the spread.

"There are things we do every day, all the time, absolutely.  Washing hands: nice, hot water, anti-bacterial soap, a good 20 seconds,' said Craig Persha, assistant manager of Apollon in Appleton.

Washing silver and flatware is also part of the healthy routine.

And because norovirus can be transported on food from restaurant vendors, so is careful preparation.

"Preparing things properly.  Really watching cross-contamination and making sure to sanitize properly," said Stacey Suprise, general manager of GingRootz in Appleton.

And if a staff members feels sick, they do not come in.

"That's one thing we do.  Yeah, we definitely say 'stay home,'" said Persha.

These are all normal practices for the restaurants, but with news of norovirus spreading, it just serves as an important reminder.

"It's our reputation and it's nothing that we can take lightly," said Suprise.

And Gould told us it's not just reputations at stake, it's sometimes lives.

"It can be very dangerous and people can die from norovirus, mostly due to dehydration," said Gould.

You can lessen your chances of getting the norovirus by washing your hands regularly and cooking your own food properly.

If you do get it, drinking lots of fluids will help prevent dehydration and help get you through the disease which usually takes no more than 48 hours.