Norovirus (NoV) is a highly contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea in children as well as in adults.
The virus was first discovered in 1968 in connection with an outbreak of acute diarrhoeal disease in the US city of Norwalk and came to be known as the Norwalk Virus. Later, several stomach flu viruses closely linked to the Norwalk virus were found and together, these are now called as Noroviruses.
Norovirus is sometimes called the winter vomiting bug, as it’s more common in the winter.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says over 20 million cases of acute diarrhoeal disease caused by NoV are reported annually in the U.S.
In India, it was recently reported in 13 students of a veterinary college in Wayanad district of Kerala.
