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Norovirus Spurs 1 Million Doctor Visits by U.S. Children
By Shannon Pettypiece - Mar 20, 2013 4:00 PM CT.
Norovirus, the most common cause of vomiting in young children, leads to more than 1 million medical visits costing $273 million each year in the U.S., according to a study that highlights the need for a vaccine to prevent it.
By the time children are 5 years old, 1 in 278 in the U.S. will have been hospitalized for the vomiting and diarrhea bug, and 1 in 6 will be treated by a doctor or nurse for it, according to a report released today by the New England Journal of Medicine.
The figures are surprisingly high, said Daniel Payne, lead author of the study and a researcher at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The virus, sometimes called the stomach flu, easily spreads through food, water and close contact when microscopic amounts of fecal matter are ingested. Since a vaccine that could help stop the spread is likely years away, hand washing is the best defense, said Payne.
?This study very strongly suggests that person-to-person transmission of norovirus is a very big deal,? Payne said. ?This is a significant health-care burden among U.S. children under five.?
More...
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-...-1-million-doctor-visits-by-u-s-children.html
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New England Journal of Medicine.
Norovirus and Medically Attended Gastroenteritis in U.S. Children
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1206589?query=featured_home
By Shannon Pettypiece - Mar 20, 2013 4:00 PM CT.
Norovirus, the most common cause of vomiting in young children, leads to more than 1 million medical visits costing $273 million each year in the U.S., according to a study that highlights the need for a vaccine to prevent it.
By the time children are 5 years old, 1 in 278 in the U.S. will have been hospitalized for the vomiting and diarrhea bug, and 1 in 6 will be treated by a doctor or nurse for it, according to a report released today by the New England Journal of Medicine.
The figures are surprisingly high, said Daniel Payne, lead author of the study and a researcher at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The virus, sometimes called the stomach flu, easily spreads through food, water and close contact when microscopic amounts of fecal matter are ingested. Since a vaccine that could help stop the spread is likely years away, hand washing is the best defense, said Payne.
?This study very strongly suggests that person-to-person transmission of norovirus is a very big deal,? Payne said. ?This is a significant health-care burden among U.S. children under five.?
More...
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-...-1-million-doctor-visits-by-u-s-children.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
New England Journal of Medicine.
Norovirus and Medically Attended Gastroenteritis in U.S. Children
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1206589?query=featured_home