Investigating Prominent Outbreaks: Rotavirus & Norovirus

It is safe to say that everyone who was here for the COVID-19 pandemic is terrified of the idea of another outbreak. When in reality, outbreaks are not too rare. There seems to always be somewhere in our world that is experiencing unusual numbers of cases of certain diseases that often lead to a widespread outbreak in the area. Take Rotavirus for example, within a six-month period in 2022, Ukraine had 3,533 cases of Rotavirus enteritis, of which were predominately children. This outbreak arose upon the time in which Russia invaded major Ukrainian cities, therefore, displacing millions of people. In the temporary residential areas of these displaced families is where scientists believe that Rotavirus initially spread. Rotavirus is spread via the fecal-oral route and is very common with children, meaning, a child wearing diapers could very easily touch a toy or surface with the feces found in their used diaper. Moreover, any caretaker that handles the used diaper could very well touch the infected feces and cook meals or do laundry with their contaminated hands. Due to the crowded living conditions of displacement camps, it is very hard to track where the virus originated since these camps usually do not have the most hygienic state. The symptoms of Rotavirus usually include vomiting, severe diarrhea, dehydration, and a low-grade fever. The recommended treatment for Rotavirus is vaccination. The Ukrainian government have since placed the Rotavirus vaccination on their highly recommended list for infants.

Moreover, there has also been a Norovirus outbreak in 2022 in Texas due to contaminated raw oysters harvested in Galveston back in November. Around 300 people became sick from these oysters throughout 8 states where the popular southern grocery store, Publix, sold them. Norovirus actually has thousands of outbreaks in the US alone every year as it is the most common gastrointestinal food-borne illness. The most common population of which this disease targets would be those who are immunocompromised pre-infection, such as infants and those who are older. The symptoms of this illness include vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, dehydration, fever, headache, and body aches. While this illness is spread through food, the CDC also advises that those who may have come into contact with these oysters will need to, "Follow these steps: (1) Wash and sanitize containers and surfaces that may have come into contact with these oysters. (2) Wash hands with warm water and soap following the cleaning and sanitation process." (CDC, 2022)

There are numerous similarities among these diseases as well as differences, for example both initiate severe gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea. Moreover, these diseases also are common with those who may consume the same food on a mass scale as Rotavirus could easily be transmitted through a chef's dirty hands and spread throughout a large population and Norovirus is transmitted via contaminated food, especially in raw animal products such as oysters. However, Rotavirus does not give a person body aches or a high-grade fever like Norovirus does. Rotavirus is more commonly associated with severe dehydration as the diarrhea contains more water. Finally, both can easily be eliminated through proper hygiene routines such as hand washing and disposal of food that may be contaminated with the viruses.