New Strain of Norovirus - the Winter Vomiting Bug - On the Rise
A new norovirus strain was detected last year in Australia and has reached the United States.
Although the flu is on everyone’s minds this season, the winter vomiting bug, or the norovirus, is making its rounds. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the norovirus causes about 70,000 hospitalizations and 800 deaths each year, mostly in young children and the elderly. Fortunately the bug has not touched Stoneham yet this winter, according to Stoneham Public Health Nurse Peg Drummey. "Right now Stoneham is healthy, no cases have been reported," Drummey told Stoneham Patch. Some of the virus' common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pains. The CDC points out that the norovirus is often referred to as the stomach flu, but it is unrelated to influenza. A new norovirus strain, GII.4 …
