Norovirus Food Poisoning

Daniel Buckfire

Contributor

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The Michigan food poisoning lawyers at our firm frequently handle cases involving clients who have contracted Norovirus food poisoning. These cases usually involve clients who have become ill after eating at a Norovirus contaminated restaurant or after an outbreak has occurred at day-care centers or nursing homes. Norovirus is most commonly recognized as a short-term “stomach flu.”

Common Norovirus symptoms include:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Stomach cramping
• Fever
• Chills
• Headache
• Muscle ache
• Fatigue

These symptoms are usually most pronounced in young children, the elderly, and persons with immune systems that have already been weakened from other diseases.

Norovirus infections are caused by groups of viruses formerly known as Norwalk-like viruses and caliciviruses. The natural environment for Norovirus is the human intestine, but like any virus it can live for a several days outside of a human host. It is commonly found in human feces, vomit, and syliva.

Common Causes of Norovirus include:

• Eating food or drinking liquid that has been contaminated with Norovirus
• Touching contaminated surfaces and placing one’s hand in one’s mouth
• Having direct contact with an infected person, such as by providing care for a sick child or by sharing forks, spoons, and knives.

Norovirus infections are generally not severe and in most cases clear up after 1 – 3 days, it is important to note that Norovirus is highly contagious. Infected people can remain contagious for up to two full weeks after their symptoms disappear. In addition, although many cases require no more than a few days in bed, persistent vomiting and diarrhea can cause dehydration, which itself can present a very serious health threat, again especially to young children, the elderly, and people with already-weakened immune systems. Anyone who may be infected with Norovirus should drink plenty of fluids and seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Reporting your illness, either through ReportFoodPoisoning.com, or directly to your health department, allows your health department to identify outbreaks and prevent others from becoming sick. Persons suffering illness from food poisoning can also pursue their legal rights against the restauarant or seller of food.