The season for winter vomiting sickness has now started, the Public Health Agency announces.
– How extensive the spread will be this season cannot yet be said. Last season, more cases were reported than the year before. The most intense weeks occurred in February, compared to April the previous season, says deputy state epidemiologist Erik Sturegård.
The authority’s monitoring shows that the spread has now gained momentum in society. The virus is highly contagious and the Public Health Agency urges people to maintain good hand hygiene.
– One of the most important measures to protect yourself and others against infection is good hand hygiene. This applies especially in health care and care. By following the routines for good healthcare hygiene, the risk of infection can be reduced, says Erik Sturegård.
Already last week, the region of Östergötland announced that the virus had started to spread in the region.
– Going out with this now before Christmas is a bit of a new “take”, said Karin Festin, assistant infectious disease doctor in Östergötland.
Facts about winter sickness
The calicivirus that causes winter vomiting disease is highly contagious. A sick person can excrete large amounts of virus in the feces and through vomiting.
The virus can survive for a long time in the environment and spread from, for example, textiles.
The incubation period is 12–48 hours. The symptoms are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, headache and fever. You can also be a carrier of the virus without having symptoms.
The virus can be spread in different ways – through direct or indirect contact with infected people, via food that has been handled and contaminated by an infected person, or that has been contaminated with sewage.
Source: Public Health Agency