Jan. 29, 2025 – It comes on quickly: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, sometimes a low-grade fever and body aches. What many people think of as the “stomach flu” has nothing to do with influenza – norovirus is an illness in your gut, and the flu is a respiratory infection.
This may be the biggest myth about norovirus, the highly contagious stomach bug currently storming across the country, but it’s not the only one.
In the United States, norovirus outbreaks have nearly doubled this season, with 1,078 reported between August 2024 and January 2025, compared to 557 during the same period the previous year, according to the CDC. This surge underscores the importance of not only prevention – through hand-washing, proper food handling, and staying home when sick – but also addressing common norovirus myths and wrong ideas. Read on to learn more.
Myth #1: Norovirus is no big deal.
Fact: In the U.S., norovirus sickens 19 million to 21 million people – and sends nearly half a million to the emergency room – every year.
Norovirus has been dubbed the “Ferrari of the virus world” because it moves so fast: Symptoms develop 12 to 48 hours after exposure, and by the time you know you’ve got it, you’ve probably spread it to multiple other people.
While the virus can strike anyone, young children, the elderly, and people with a compromised immune system are particularly at risk. They’re more likely to have severe infections, which can sometimes last for months.
Myth #2: Norovirus is just food poisoning.
Fact: You can get sick from eating contaminated food or beverages, but it’s not the primary source.
The CDC says norovirus causes 58% of all foodborne illnesses in the U.S. each year. That sure sounds like food poisoning, doesn’t it? But unlike with true food poisoning, you don’t get sick from toxins growing in the food itself. Instead, the food gets contaminated via microscopic fecal matter or vomit that contains the virus. Perhaps a food service worker didn’t wash their hands well enough, or maybe the water used to rinse the food contained traces of the virus.
And while lots of people get sick from eating contaminated food, even more cases spread from person-to-person contact. When someone has norovirus, they shed billions of tiny particles, which can live on surfaces for weeks. So you might touch a remote control, doorknob, or banister and wind up with particles on your hand. Now, consider how often you touch your face over the course of a day. If the virus gets into your mouth, it only takes a few particles to make you sick.
Myth #3: Once your symptoms ease, you’re home-free.
Fact: Although you feel better, you may be contagious for up to a month.
If there’s one good thing about norovirus, it’s that symptoms tend to subside almost as quickly as they come on. Most people feel better within two to three days. But don’t let down your guard once the cramps go away: The virus remains inside your digestive tract – and comes out in your poop – for weeks afterward. This may explain why it spreads so easily, said Mary K. Estes, PhD, a virologist at Baylor College of Medicine who researches norovirus.
“People forget that they were sick,” she said. “And if they're not always using good personal hygiene, they could be shedding virus three weeks later and contaminating surfaces and passing the virus on.”
You’re most contagious while you’re having symptoms and directly after, so the CDC advises you to stay home for 48 hours after symptoms stop. Don’t prepare or handle food for others during that time, either.
Myth #4: Using plenty of hand sanitizer will protect you.
Fact: Alcohol can’t kill the virus.
Two things work against norovirus, Estes said: Bleach and heat.
For sanitizing when you or someone in your household gets sick, use products with bleach. Wear disposable gloves and use paper towels to disinfect surfaces, and launder clothing at the highest temperature settings. Wash your hands after cleaning anything that may have been contaminated.
Cooking food past 145 degrees Fahrenheit offers protection since the virus can’t survive beyond that temperature. This means food eaten raw, like salad greens, pose a risk. Washing produce well under running water can lower it.
Raw oysters are especially dangerous. Mollusks filter the virus from contaminated water – it builds up in their tissues and stays there even after the oysters are transferred to clean water, Estes said. In December, at least 80 people got sick after eating raw oysters at an event in Los Angeles. To protect yourself, eat only shellfish that’s been thoroughly cooked.
And rather than using alcohol-based hand sanitizers, make it a habit to wash your hands regularly. Use the technique you learned during COVID-19: Scrub vigorously for at least 20 seconds.
Myth #5: If you get sick, medicine can help.
Fact: There are no medications proven to treat norovirus.
Because it’s caused by a virus rather than bacteria, antibiotics won’t work here – you need an antiviral. And that’s where things get tricky.
“There are different [norovirus] strains,” Estes said. “To get one antiviral that’s going to work against all of the virus strains has been complicated.”
So far, nothing has been successful. And even though norovirus sickens 685 million people around the world each year, the research community is relatively small.
“People say, because it's such a fast infection, is it really worth going to all the trouble?” Estes said. “We will solve this ultimately, but it's a smaller group of scientists working on it globally. We've made a lot of progress.”
