A common winter bug is making the rounds in the Mountain State, and public health officials warn that the highly contagious disease can make its way through entire offices, schools and homes if the proper precautions aren't taken.
Norovirus, a form of acute gastroenteritis, causes nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. The infection is easily transmitted and most common during the winter months, according to Dr. Rahul Gupta, state health officer and commissioner for the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health.
It is difficult to track, as health-care providers aren't required to report individual cases, but local health agencies are required to report outbreaks of norovirus and similar illnesses.
"It is a relatively common disease, especially during this time of year," Gupta said. "We're always trying to prevent outbreaks, and when they do happen, we're always trying to prevent the extension of those outbreaks."
Four outbreaks of an illness with symptoms similar to norovirus have been reported in Marion, Wood, Marshall and Preston counties, Gupta said.
Eighteen outbreaks have been confirmed, so far, for last year - the full number has not been finalized - and there were 42 outbreaks across the state in 2014.
Part of what makes norovirus so easily spread is its incubation period - onset of symptoms can occur anywhere from 12 to 48 hours after infection, Gupta said.
Dr. Michael Brumage, health officer for the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department, stressed that those who have had the disease stay home for one to two days after they recover, as the virus can still be contagious even after symptoms pass.
"In first-world countries, it's an annoying disease that can make you feel terrible for 24 to 36 hours, and recovery is sometimes a little delayed by complications from dehydration," Brumage said. "I can speak from experience, having recently been afflicted by it, it comes on very suddenly, and often you don't know where you picked it up from, because it's very contagious."
Brumage recommends that those who suspect they have contracted norovirus stay home from work or school and away from crowded public spaces, and that those who handle food in their profession remain at home for at least two days after symptoms of the virus have subsided.
Brumage and Gupta said the elderly are especially susceptible to complications from the virus, as well as those with conditions like diabetes or hypertension, which can worsen with dehydration.
"When I was living in Japan, we had several people die last year in Kanagawa Prefecture of the disease, among the elderly, who were predisposed anyway, from their general medical state or their access to fluids, or from their medications," Brumage said. "It can pose a real threat - in most Western countries, it's an annoyance, but in developing countries it can be life-threatening."
The majority of outbreaks reported in the state in previous years have been in long-term health care facilities, Gupta said, adding that the higher rate of incidence for the facilities likely was caused, in part, by their tendency to be more vigilant in identifying and reporting disease outbreaks.
As with most other communicable diseases, Gupta said he recommends frequent hand-washing and disinfecting of common areas, as well as carefully cooking and preparing food.
Reach Lydia Nuzum at lydia.nuzum@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5189 or follow @lydianuzum on Twitter.