TAMPA, Fla. — Norovirus cases have been increasing in Tampa Bay.
"We’ve definitely had an uptick over the past four to six weeks," said Dr. Lisa Cronin, General Pediatrician for Children’s Medical Center.
The virus is highly contagious and spread through close contact with people who are infected, by consuming contaminated food or water, or by touching contaminated surfaces and then touching your mouth.
WATCH: Doctors are tracking an increase in norovirus cases in Tampa Bay
Doctors expect cases to keep rising through the summer months.
"This is a common time of year that we see a lot of norovirus. Warm weather, summer, people are swimming, people are out at splash parks,” Dr. Cronin said.
She told Tampa Bay28 reporter Larissa Scott cruise ships tend to be a common breeding ground for spread.
"With Florida being such a popular cruise destination with all the ports, sometimes we get these large clusters of people that will come off our cruise ship and then it sort of disseminates and spreads throughout the state that way,” Dr. Cronin explained.
Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and fever.
Symptoms can appear suddenly and usually last one to three days.
Dr. Jose Barquin, ER Medical Director for AdventHealth North Pinellas and AdventHealth Palm Harbor Emergency Departments, has also seen a some more patients with norovirus recently.
"The summer months, in general, these outbreaks can occur anytime," Dr. Barquin said. "There’s young kids getting together because young kids in the same environment love to share germs."
Dehydration is the most common complication. That’s why doctors encourage patients to drink small sips of water and electrolytes as much as possible when dealing with the virus.
"Folks most commonly struggle with that because they’re having all these losses," Dr. Barquin explained. "So, making sure you can keep down fluids, some electrolytes, is going to be very important."
He added, "Little kids, they they don’t necessarily understand that they have to keep drinking. So, sometimes it can be really hard to keep them hydrated. If they throw up I always say wait 10 or 15 minutes, then you’re going to encourage them to do some sips."
Dr. Cronin recommends using a spoon, a syringe, or crushing up an electrolyte popsicle if necessary for small children.
Prevention is possible.
Hand sanitizer does not work against norovirus. You must wash your hands with warm water and soap.
If someone in your family does get it, make sure to clean the surfaces they touch with bleach and try to designate a bathroom to the sick person if possible.
"Washing your hands throughly after using the bathroom, decontaminating surfaces, especially where children often play. Those are some very basic steps you can take," Dr. Barquin said.
Norovirus can usually be managed at home, but there are some red flags to watch for that indicate when to see a doctor.
"I tell people, for any severe belly pain that’s something that should always be evaluated," Dr. Cronin said. "For anything that could be concerning for dehydration: so you're vomiting you know continuously many times, you’re not keeping sips of fluid down, you’re having any evidence of decreased urine output. Those are all things that are going to warrant either a call into your physician or an evaluation in person."
Dr. Barquin said, "If you vomit and have enough diarrhea, that you can’t keep up with what you’re taking in, then you do risk having some kidney dysfunction and electrolytes that require being replaced with IVs that help you directly get that into your blood stream."
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