An ultra-contagious variant of norovirus is spreading throughout the US and UK.
The strain, known as GII.17, led to a surge in cases last year across the US and Europe after emerging in April. Now, the vomiting bug is on the rise in the US again, and in the UK, where the long-dominant GII.4 and GII.17 are circulating, the latter accounts for 19% of cases.
Experts warned the strain is particularly contagious, and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention noted that it causes about 50% more cases than other strains in the US, reports the Daily Mail.
Even though GII.17 has decreased in the UK, it remains the second most common strain in the country, accounting for 19% of cases as of December 7, according to the UK Health Security Agency. Instead, the long-dominant GII.4 has emerged as the predominant variant in the UK, accounting for 31% of cases for the 2025/2026 season to December 7.
The virus is also known as the ‘rib-cracking’ winter virus, because people who have caught the disease have vomited so explosively they experience a cracking in their ribs, reports HealthAndMe.
Dr Scott Roberts, an infectious diseases expert at Yale University, told TODAY: « Whenever there’s a new strain, it’s really easy for it to start spreading rapidly, and that’s what we saw last year.
« So far, we’re not yet to the level that we were at last year, which was really our worst year since pre-Covid… but it’s certainly going up. Time will tell how bad it will get. Now is the time to be vigilant. I expect things to get worse before they get better. »
Norovirus, also known as the ‘winter vomiting bug’ is spread by close contact with an infected person or touching surfaces that have the virus on them and then touching your mouth. It can also be passed on by eating food that has been prepared by someone with norovirus.
If you get symptoms, the NHS recommends staying away from work or school for two days after the sickness and diarrhoea have passed.
It also highlights that fruit juice or fizzy drinks can exacerbate the sickness, and you should instead drink fluids such as water or squash.
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