Don't Let Norovirus Lay You Low

Dec. 20 -- If you are feeling sick with nausea, diarrhea and vomiting, you may call it the stomach flu, but what may really be ailing you is something called norovirus.

The flu is a respiratory illness that gets in lungs, and norovirus is a stomach illness, said Christopher Smith, environmental health supervisor with the Wilson County Health Department.

Smith warns that norovirus can occur any time of the year.

There have been three confirmed norovirus outbreaks that affected nine counties and 50 people, recently. Health department officials warn it is easy to catch and spread.

The most common symptoms include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, and additional symptoms may include a low-grade fever, chills, headache, muscle aches and a general sense of tiredness, according to the Center for Disease Control Web site.

Children tend to experience more vomiting than adults.

The illness often begins suddenly, usually about 24 to 48 hours after ingestion of the virus, and the infected person may feel very sick.

For most people, it will go away in one to two days.