Colorado sees rise in outbreaks of stomach bug that causes vomiting, diarrhea – 9News.com KUSA
Next up in 5Example video title will go here for this videoNext up in 5Example video title will go here for this videoDENVER — Cases of a wretched stomach bug are surging in parts of the United States this winter, according to government data.The most recent numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show there were 91 outbreaks of norovirus reported during the week of Dec. 5, up from 69 outbreaks in the last week of November.Norovirus is sometimes called the stomach bug. The virus causes symptoms like stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea. Flor Mira, a Colorado resident, said she caught the virus from her 3-year-old son.”I threw up that first day that I felt the symptoms,” Mira said. “Right now, I still feel the cramps in my stomach very strongly, and they’ll come and they’ll go.”The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment does not report individual cases but rather outbreaks. According to data from CDPHE, outbreaks have more than tripled since 2022.In 2022, from Sept. 1 to Dec. 31, there were 47 outbreaks in Colorado. Over the same period in 2023, there were 114 outbreaks. In 2024: 175 outbreaks.CDPHE officials said most of the outbreaks stem from schools, day cares and nursing homes. 9NEWS medical expert Dr. Payal Kohli said the rise in outbreaks leaves her with a few questions. “The first question is it an outbreak because we are doing something different?” she asked. “I think compared to 2022, there’s more travel, there’s more intermingling, there’s more people getting together. But the second question that it begs is, has the virus changed? Did it become more virulent? Did it become easier to spread? That second question, we don’t really have answer to.”Kohli said anyone can get the virus from food, other people and surfaces. Doctors recommend that people wash their hands often, clean surfaces regularly and don’t prepare or handle food when sick.”Once you get a little bit of a virus in a community, it can very easily lead to an outbreak,” Kohli, said. “It’s one of those that’s a terrible, terrible experience to go through. You feel really, really ill for those few days that you’re sick. So prevention is always better than cure.”Kohli said most healthy people can handle the virus on their own at home, but if older folks or young children get it, she said they may want to consult their doctor.Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings.
