Cold and flu season is here but there's another virus going around — norovirus.
According to the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department, cases of the highly contagious norovirus, which causes vomiting and diarrhea, are higher than usual across the state — including here on the Central Coast. The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department also reports higher levels of norovirus in waste water testing.
"There's a fair number of it being seen, both in the pediatric population as well as the adult population. However, most of these cases are handled at home, so there's probably a lot more of it out there that we just don't know about because they're not necessarily engaging with our, our clinics or our hospitals," said Dr. Scott Piazza with Dignity Health.
WATCH: KSBY's Shannon MacNeil speaks with Dr. Scott Piazza about the increase in norovirus cases
Health officials say norovirus occurs year-round but is most common between November and April.
"Most of the symptoms are sudden onset of vomiting. Diarrhea usually starts somewhere between 12 and 24 hours after an exposure, and it tends to last for about two to three days, so it's kind of a quick onset and then a quick ending," Dr. Piazza explained.
He shared the following advice.
"Stay home if you're sick. Wash your hands. This norovirus does not respond well to hand sanitizer, so you actually do need to wash your hands with soap and water and then make sure that you're cleaning surfaces at the house," Piazza said. "That would include using a bleach-based solution or a peroxide-based solution. Not all of the typical wipes work well against norovirus, so make sure that you're using a sanitizing product that is designed to remove viruses as well."
