WASHINGTON – You don’t have to travel to distant lands to get a stomach bug on vacation. It can happen anywhere, on a cruise or a family trip to a national park.
It happened to WTOP’s Darci Marchese, who caught a norovirus strain at Yellowstone National Park.
“I was on a hike and it came of nowhere and it was nasty,” said Marchese.
Terry Jodrie, an emergency room physician at Washington Adventist Hospital, says the norovirus is passed by hand-to-hand contact. There is one good way to keep it at bay, though.
“The best precaution you can take to avoid this is vigorous handwashing,” says Jodrie. “Nothing can really ruin a vacation like a bout of vomiting (or) diarrhea.”
The best treatment for the norovirus if you do get sick is rehydration. Jodrie recommends water, Pedialyte or simple electrolyte solutions.
What to look out for
Typical symptoms of the norovirus include:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Watery diarrhea
- Stomach cramps
Other symptoms can include:
- Low-grade fever
- Chills
- Headache
- Muscle aches
- Fatigue
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