“First, prevent by washing your hands properly.”
[창원=뉴시스]Reporter Kang Gyeong-guk = Changwon Public Health Center in Changwon-si, Gyeongsangnam-do urged people to follow personal hygiene rules such as hand washing as the number of patients with norovirus infection, which is prevalent during the winter, has increased over the past four weeks.
According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s preliminary surveillance statistics on intestinal infections, there were 27 patients in the third week of October, but the number continued to increase to 28 in the fourth week of October, 37 in the fifth week of October, and 45 in the first week of November.
Norovirus is very infectious and can survive even in everyday environments, and the period of immunity is short, so even people who have had it in the past can be reinfected.
In Korea, it appears to occur mainly in infants and young children (0 to 6 years old) from winter to early spring (November to April) of the following year.
The main route of infection is through consumption of contaminated water or fish and shellfish, but it can also spread between people through contact with an infected person (feces, vomit), and is highly contagious, so there is a high possibility that it will progress to group infections.
When infected with norovirus, symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea appear within 12 to 48 hours, and depending on the person, abdominal pain, chills, and fever may also appear.
To prevent it, you should eat food cooked safely and hygienically, such as washing your hands with soap for at least 30 seconds, washing food under running water, and cooking it thoroughly for at least 1 minute at 85°C or higher. Additionally, environments exposed to norovirus infection (door handles, faucets, toys, toilets, etc.) must be disinfected using the correct procedures.
In particular, if the outbreak occurs in a child care facility or school, attendance at school or school should be restricted until 48 hours after symptoms disappear, and living in separate spaces at home should be done.
Jeong Hye-jeong, director of the Changwon Public Health Center, said, “To avoid being infected with norovirus, we ask you to follow personal hygiene rules such as proper hand washing and eat safely cooked food,” and asked, “If a group of patients occurs, please report it to the nearest public health center.”
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