How to avoid getting sick during stomach flu season

Abby Cole · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 24, 2025 11:57 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

Norovirus — also known arsenic the tummy bug oregon flu — is circulating crossed the province, according to Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services, but 1 doc says determination are ways to debar getting sick.

Symptoms of norovirus see nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. The microorganism tin dispersed rapidly successful radical settings similar schools, and is communal during the wintertime months. 

After catching the virus, symptoms tin look rapidly — within one to two days, said Dr. Itali Malkin.

"Thankfully, astir radical retrieve wrong a fewer days," said Malkin.

Malkin said NLHS noticed a important fig of cases successful schools, and sent retired a bulletin past week informing the public.

He said it tin beryllium confusing to cognize erstwhile to spell backmost to schoolhouse oregon enactment aft getting sick, due to the fact that you tin beryllium infectious adjacent aft symptoms subside. 

NLHS recommends staying home for the duration of the symptoms and past for 2 days after. 

That's due to the fact that you tin inactive shed the surviving microorganism successful bodily fluids, Malkin says.

"Whether it was vomiting and diarrhea, oregon conscionable regular stool," helium said, "that means you tin inactive transmit."

The champion mode to support yourself from the microorganism is to lavation your hands with lukewarm h2o and soap, particularly earlier eating and aft touching communal surfaces, said Malkin.

The microorganism tin dispersed from idiosyncratic to idiosyncratic easily. For example, you tin get it by shaking hands with a sick person, oregon by touching a doorknob that they besides touched and past eating nutrient with the aforesaid manus you utilized to crook the doorknob. 

Malkin besides said it's a bully thought to lavation fruits and vegetables, and navigator nutrient appropriately to debar catching viruses. 

Download our free CBC News app to motion up for propulsion alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter here. Click here to sojourn our landing page.