Analyzes show an increase in Norovirus cases in El Salvador

registered cases Norovirus was increasing in savior (Bachelor), according to samples analyzed by the Laboratory of Virology at the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA). According to a virologist at the UFBA Institute of Health Sciences, Gúbio Soares – who identified the virus in the city – between the end of April and the first week of May, of the 35 samples examined, at least 15 tested positive.

Norovirus is highly contagious and can be transmitted through contaminated food or water, and it can spread through contact with infected people. The virus causes diarrhea, vomiting, high fever, and stomach and body aches.

According to Gubio, this virus contains an RNA genome and is already known worldwide. “This happens in many highly developed countries, such as the United States and Japan. On cruise ships, cases of norovirus are very common, because everyone is confined, it is enough for one person on the ship to infect another person. But companies already know and control. ‘, he says.

Norovirus symptoms last from one to three days and appear 24 to 48 hours after infection. According to the virologist, the laboratory had already identified a large outbreak of the virus in the area in 2006. “Now, some samples came to us from a private hospital, because they were doing tests for another virus, which was negative, and when we did that with norovirus it was positively,” he claims.

According to Gubio, about 35% to 40% of the samples tested positive for the virus: “I’ve spoken to several people, who didn’t check with the health system, but they called me saying they had these symptoms, so it’s highly contagious.”

The virologist also explains that norovirus is very resistant to hard and hard surfaces, so it is necessary to clean it with sodium hypochlorite. In addition, the virus spreads very quickly through vomiting.

“This virus infects newborns of people over 100 years of age, it does not have an exclusive age group, and the risk is dehydration that it can cause. So it is always good for infected people to wear a mask, wash their hands and not work in places that come in contact with people while they are infected. with norovirus,” Gubbio advises.

Over the phone, Health Ministry advice informed Terra that the municipality does not have a record of cases of this virus, as it is not a disease that can be reported. According to the volume, the city only reports viruses like these in epidemic outbreaks, which it claims is not.