ELIZABETHTOWN — The Bladen County Health Department is warning
area residents that the norovirus is on the move across the
country, and may already have made its presence felt in North
Carolina and even Bladen County. “It’s out there,” said Wayne
Stewart, county health director. “And people need to know what
they should do.” According to the Center for Disease Control,
the norovirus is a highly contagious illness caused by
infection. It is often called by other names, such as viral
gastroenteritis, stomach flu and food poisoning. Norovirus
infection causes acute gastroenteritis (inflammation of the
stomach and intestines); the most common symptoms are diarrhea,
vomiting, and stomach pain. Anyone can get norovirus, and they
can have the illness multiple times during their lifetime.
Norovirus is the most common cause of acute gastroenteritis in
the United States. “Eight counties in North Carolina experienced
outbreaks in the month of January” said Stewart. “This is a very
contagious virus and can spread rapidly