Salient Features of Norwalk Virus

Norwalk is the other name of Norovirus. It has other common names like tummy flu, calcivirus and the family name is Caliciviridae.

What is Norwalk virus!

Norwalk virus is a very common cause of food borne disease. The human gastrointestinal system is greatly affected by this virus. . Norovirus occurs in places where human congregation takes place in confined place like School, daycares, cruise ships, restaurants and summer camps.

Symptoms of Norwalk virus

Norovirus may occur in any age group and its symptoms are: Stomach cramping, nausea, profuse vomiting but non-bloody or non-bilious, watery diarrhea, head or muscle aches, low fever.

The symptoms normally become prominent after one to three days of exposure to the virus and persist from few days to several weeks.

How Norwalk virus spread?

Norovirus spread through fecal oral route. The spreading of these viruses takes place from person to person only. Animals never spread these viruses.

However, because of the reason that these viruses are extremely contagious in nature, they are also spread through other routes as mentioned below:

Shellfishes – when harvested in contaminated sewage waters,
When people have contact with objects or surfaces such as hand rails, window panes, curtains, towels etc. which are contaminated and put their hand in mouth
Through infected people who may be preparing foods for others, do so without washing their hands or taking proper care about it.
When the water used is contaminated with sewage that happens in city where the sewage and water pipe lines are leaking.

Recurrence of the infection is possible. The reason is a person‘s immune system cannot develop a long-term immunity because the Norovirus has many different types of strains.

Diagnosis of Norwalk virus

There are several tests for the detection of the Norwalk virus like laboratory techniques of ELISA method (Enzyme Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay) and RT-PCR method (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction).