Even as the world struggles to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic, a new outbreak of Norovirus has been reported in the UK, and cases are on the rise, according to reports.
A report in the Hindustan Times quotes Public Health England (PHE), the UK's health service saying that in the five weeks since the end of May, 154 cases of norovirus have been recorded in England, which is a three-fold increase in the number of cases over the same period in the last five years.
Norovirus is a highly contagious virus, and like Covid-19 it is asymptomatic in some people and presents problematic symptoms in others. It is also called the "winter vomiting bug".
It spreads mainly through contaminated food and surfaces and experts said outbreaks are usually recorded from November to April.
The most common symptoms include fever, headaches, body aches, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and stomach pain. It causes acute inflammation of the stomach or intestines in the affected person.
Experts have warned people to stay at home if they report any of the above symptoms and avoid passing on the food they have prepared or consumed to others.
As with Covid-19, experts recommend washing hands thoroughly after going out to reduce the risk of Norovirus infection.
A report in Mint adds, that as the Norovirus spreads, it mutates so rapidly that sometimes test kits cannot detect newly mutated strains.
While there are no prescribed medicines to treat the virus, experts say drinking plenty of water will help patients avoid being dehydrated by vomiting and diarrhea.
Experts add that using a bleach-based household cleaner or a combination of bleach and hot water to disinfect any items that asymptomatic Norovirus patient comes in contact with can help reduce the spread of the infection.