CDC: 70 cases of diarrhea have been reported in the past 4 weeks, and norovirus GII.17 has become the mainstream

The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention points out that there have been 70 reports of diarrheal clusters across the country in the past four weeks, nearly 9 of which were caused by norovirus. Schematic diagram, the characters in the picture have nothing to do with the news.

Chen Yuanyi, a family medicine physician, said on the Facebook fan "Family Medicine Physician x2. Health and daily life are interesting" that the latest data from the Department of Disease Control and Prevention pointed out that there have been 70 cluster reports of diarrhea across the country in the past four weeks, most of which occurred in the catering and hotel industries. Nearly 90% of the positive cases were caused by norovirus, while the remaining 10% were caused by Staphylococcus aureus and salmonella.

According to the latest typing results, GII.17 has become the main popular type in China (accounting for 34.2%). GII.17 is not the first time it has appeared, but its proportion has increased rapidly in recent years. It is more transmissible than the GII.4 that was common in the past and is more likely to cause clusters of infections. The incubation period of norovirus is about 10 to 50 hours. If you have just finished a dinner party, relatives and friends at the same table should pay attention to their physical condition.

Chen Yuanyi cited cluster data in the United States from 2021 to 2025, showing that the GII.17 virus has two major characteristics that are slightly higher than before: the proportion of vomiting is higher: up to 78.2% (common GII.4 is 72.2%). Increased proportion of fever: approximately 15.9% (common GII.4 is 10.9%). There was no significant difference in the proportion of hospitalizations: 2.3% vs 2.2% (P=1.000). This means that although the symptoms of vomiting and fever are more obvious, the severity has not increased, and there is no need to panic excessively.

Chen Yuanyi said that there is currently no specific drug for norovirus. Please follow the following care principles: eat small amounts and frequently, and replenish water and electrolytes. The diet should be light. If you can’t eat, don’t force yourself to eat. Infants, young children, the elderly and people with weak immune systems may lose body fluids quickly and easily become dehydrated. They need to be particularly vigilant and seek help as soon as possible.

Chen Yuanyi said that if a child shows the following "four major warning signs", please seek medical treatment as soon as possible: vomiting all the time and being unable to drink water. The spirit becomes obviously worse, and the patient feels sleepy or extremely irritable. The urine output is significantly reduced and the lips are chapped. The diarrhea is getting worse. The above are all warning signs of dehydration or worsening of the condition. If any of these conditions occur, please seek medical attention as soon as possible! At the same time, be sure to wash your hands frequently with soap before and after gatherings (alcohol is not effective against norovirus).