The horrendous norovirus is hitting Florida hard. How to protect yourself.

If your spouse, neighbor, coworker or child’s teacher has the stomach bug, beware. The highly contagious norovirus is rampant in South Florida.

Norovirus has torn through the United States this winter, peaking early in some parts of the country but taking hold in South Florida over the last few weeks. It arrives with cramps, diarrhea, vomiting, fever, dizziness and fatigue, symptoms that set in about 12 to 48 hours after exposure to viral particles. On average, one person with norovirus will infect two to seven others.

“It’s a tough illness to have to deal with,” said Dr. Maria Garcia, an emergency medicine physician at Baptist Health South Florida.

Garcia is seeing firsthand what Florida wastewater data over the most recent 21 days confirms: Norovirus concentration levels through the state are high. Federal surveillance data only shows reported outbreaks in Florida through the end of January. Florida, like most of the south, had higher levels than in previous years as of Jan. 31, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC).

Among those who caught the virus is Leslie O’Shea, of Fort Lauderdale, who said she missed three days of work last week due to the symptoms. She even slept on the bathroom floor, feeling lightheaded and struggling to stand up.

“This was the sickest I have been in a long time,” she said.

Similar experiences fill social media posts, with photos of people in bed declaring “I wouldn’t wish norovirus on my worst enemy” and “This virus is straight from the pits of hell.”

Experts say the surge of cases is being driven by a new dominant strain of norovirus called GII.17[P17], which has displaced a strain that had been around for decades. Lower population immunity to this new strain could explain this year’s harsh wave of the virus.

This new strain, the CDC said, is linked to cruise-ship outbreaks in 2025.

Indeed, South Florida’s proximity to cruise ports may be exacerbating the spread. According to the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program, nine voyages that have departed from or docked in Florida this year have resulted in outbreaks — seven were confirmed to be norovirus. Passengers exposed to norovirus often have overnight stays in Florida and travel through local airports.

So, what to do?

Medical experts want Floridians to know that hand sanitizer does not kill norovirus. You need to thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water.

Norovirus is also hard to kill on surfaces, where it can live for days to weeks. If someone in your household vomits in the bathroom, you need to clean every contaminated surface with a disinfectant (typically bleach). The virus also can spread through contaminated food.

“Hand washing is key after you use the bathroom and before you prepare food,” said Dr. Indulekha Gopal, medical director for infectious diseases at Broward Health North. “The main way it spreads is person to person and not washing your hands properly.”

Here’s what else you need to know, according to medical experts:

• It doesn’t take much of the virus to make someone sick. Only a small particle is needed to pass on the infection.
• Doctors recommend that adults and children stay hydrated with Pedialyte. “Pedialyte is less irritating to the stomach than Gatorade and people tolerate it better,” Gopal said. “Make sure to sip it frequently.” Dehydration can lead to other symptoms, like dizziness.
• Zofran or antinausea medications may be necessary to curb the vomiting and fluid loss and allow you to take a fever reducer. However, antidiarrheal medications can be tricky, said Garcia from Baptist Health South Florida. “Some bacterial infections present similar symptoms and antidiarrheal medications will worsen them. You need to discuss it with a healthcare provider,” she said. “My recommendation is to avoid them.”
• You can’t get norovirus from someone coughing or sneezing, so masking won’t help.
• Symptoms from norovirus usually last one to three days.
• You can still spread norovirus for days after you’re feeling better. “If you are preparing food and had norovirus a few weeks ago, you may be still shedding, so adhere to strict hand hygiene protocols,” Gopal said.

Most people get better after a few days. But not everyone.

“If you are dizzy, weak and the vomiting is out of control, you may have to seek medical attention,” Gopal said. “Dehydration can be problematic for young children, the elderly and anyone who is immunocompromised.”

There is no antiviral treatment for norovirus, and while there isn’t currently a vaccine, drug manufacturer Moderna is working on one. Any norovirus vaccine would require an educated guess as to which strains would be likely to circulate in a given year, which is the same concept behind the annual flu vaccine.

Additionally, it is possible to get norovirus more than once in a season, Garcia added.

“If there are multiple strains around, you might have had the virus and created immunity to one strain and someone is around you with another strain and you get infected again,” she said. “That’s why washing your hands is so important.”