Spring is the peak season for norovirus.
In order to effectively prevent the spread of norovirus, the Chinese Society for Food Science and Technology has made a special reminder.
What is Norovirus Infection?
Norovirus (NV) is a group of virus particles with similar shape and slightly different antigenicity, which mainly contaminate shellfish, fruits, vegetables and drinking water, and can cause acute gastroenteritis in humans.
People of all ages are generally susceptible to norovirus, and children, the elderly, and immunocompromised persons are high-risk groups.
Infectious diarrhea caused by norovirus can occur throughout the year, and its incubation period is relatively short, usually 1-2 days. The main symptoms are nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, abdominal pain, diarrhea, etc. The average duration of symptoms is 2-3 days.
Although norovirus is highly infectious, it is a self-limiting disease.
Norovirus has strong infectivity and low infectious dose, and 18-2800 virus particles can cause infection.
Moreover, the mutation rate of its epidemic strains is fast, and new mutant strains that cause global epidemics can appear every 2-3 years.
At present, the treatment of norovirus infection is mainly based on symptomatic or supportive treatment. Most people recover within a week, and people who are prone to dehydration, such as young children and the elderly, need to pay special attention.
Norovirus has a wide range of transmission routes, and awareness of non-drug prevention should be strengthened.
Norovirus transmission routes include eating food and water contaminated by norovirus, and can also be transmitted through human-to-human contact between infected cases. Among them, oysters and other shellfish seafood and raw vegetables and fruits are the cause of norovirus infection. Common foods in outbreaks of viral infections.
Norovirus prevention and control measures mainly adopt non-pharmaceutical preventive measures, including hand hygiene, environmental disinfection, food and water safety control, infection case management, and health education.
How to Prevent Norovirus Infection
Maintaining good hygiene and eating habits is the most effective measure to prevent norovirus infection and control its spread.
Consumers should process and prepare food in accordance with the requirements of the World Health Organization's "Five Keys to Food Safety", that is, keep food and hands clean; separate raw and cooked food; cook processed food thoroughly; keep cooked food and ingredients at a safe temperature (5 below 60°C, or above 60°C); in particular, it is necessary to ensure that the water source and water quality are not polluted by norovirus to ensure the safety of food raw materials.
Report suspected cases in a timely manner, and strengthen the treatment and management of food-borne infections.
When suspected norovirus infection is found in kindergartens, schools and other crowd-gathering units or places, they should report to the health administrative department of the people's government in the jurisdiction in a timely manner, and conduct investigation and disposal of the incident under the guidance of professionals.
Food, raw materials, tools, equipment, etc. that may cause virus contamination and transmission should be sealed up immediately, and infected patients should be isolated and treated in a timely manner.
Strengthen the supervision and management of food production and operation units, especially the units that provide meals for high-risk groups.
Food safety supervision departments should formulate corresponding guidance and supervision measures for food production and operation units.
In particular, establish a necessary environmental cleaning and disinfection system for the canteens and catering units of schools, childcare institutions, and elderly care institutions to reduce the spread and infection of norovirus.
Norovirus patients or those with latent infection who are engaged in the food industry need to go to work after two consecutive norovirus nucleic acid tests in stool or anal swabs are negative.