On Jan. 7, 2025, the U.S. Army Public Health Command Europe reported that cases of norovirus, a wretched and highly contagious stomach bug, are surging in parts of the United States and Europe this winter, according to recent data.

“Norovirus cases typically increase during winter due to increased gatherings and travel. This highly contagious group of viruses, officially known as norovirus, causes stomach flu and spreads easily in healthcare and childcare facilities” according to Lt. Col. Simeon Smith, Public Health Command Europe Regional Public Health Nurse Consultant.

Norovirus is the official name for a group of viruses that cause the stomach flu. Healthcare and childcare facilities are particularly susceptible to these viruses due to the ease of transmission, the small amount of infective material needed to spread the disease, the short incubation period and the fact that the virus can live in the environment for a long time unless adequately cleaned.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control the greatest health risk from norovirus is severe dehydration, especially in young children, the elderly, and people with other illnesses. Symptoms of severe dehydration include decreased urination or very dark urine, rapid breathing, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, lack of energy and fainting. Parents of children in diapers may notice a decrease in the number of wet diapers, although this may be hard to notice with frequent diarrhea.

There is no vaccine to prevent norovirus and because antibiotics fight bacterial infections, not viruses, they are ineffective in treating the illness, according to the CDC.