/Photo = Getty Image Bank Shellfish eaten in winter may contain norovirus, which causes food poisoning, so caution is required when consuming them.
According to infectious disease statistics from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on the 9th, the number of patients reported with food poisoning (intestinal infection) due to norovirus infection this year was 24 in the 41st week (October 6 to 12) and 24 in the 42nd week (October 13 to 19). It is steadily increasing, with 27 people, 28 people in the 43rd week (October 20-26), and 37 people in the 44th week (October 27-November 2).
The reason why norovirus infections increase as winter approaches is because, unlike most viruses that have poor reproductive ability at low temperatures, norovirus is more resistant to cold, surviving even at -20 degrees Celsius. In fact, about 65% of domestic norovirus food poisoning occurs concentrated from November to March of the following year.
The main routes of infection for norovirus are contaminated food or water, patient feces and vomit, saliva, and contaminated hands. Nowadays, norovirus infection has been reported in dogs, but it has not yet been confirmed whether they transmit the virus when in contact with humans.
When norovirus enters the body, the main symptoms are vomiting and diarrhea. Vomiting is common in children and diarrhea in adults. In the United States, norovirus infection is often referred to as the ‘winter vomiting bug’ because it is often accompanied by vomiting symptoms.
It is common for healthy adults to recover naturally within a few days simply by drinking enough water to prevent dehydration. However, for infants, the elderly, and pregnant women with low immunity, severe dehydration can be dangerous.
Contagiousness is strongest when symptoms appear and lasts from 3 days to up to 2 weeks after recovery. Even if you catch norovirus once, the immunity period is short and there are many mutations. It is easy to become re-infected, so you should pay attention to daily infection prevention.
In the case of food ingredients, wash them under running water, cook them thoroughly, and boil the water before eating. When heating food ingredients, viruses are killed in about 5 minutes at 80 degrees or about 1 minute at 100 degrees.
In particular, it is best to cook shellfish such as oysters, mussels, and clams no matter how fresh they are. Vegetables and fruits must be washed thoroughly several times, and knives and cutting boards must also be disinfected.
It is most important to follow personal hygiene rules such as washing hands. In particular, you must wash your hands thoroughly with soap and running water after using the bathroom, changing a diaper, and before eating or preparing food.
Park Seong-hee, a professor of infectious diseases at Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, said through Yonhap News, “Norovirus infection is easy to spread among children who live in groups, with infants aged 0 to 6 accounting for half of all patients. There is no separate antiviral vaccine.” “The most desirable preventive measure is to wash your hands with soap, not hand sanitizer, for at least 30 seconds at a time and as often as possible,” he emphasized.
Kim Young-ri, Hankyung.com reporter smartkim@hankyung.com
