CDC says new norovirus strain caused 140 outbreaks since September

A recent norovirus outbreak on the cruise ship, the Queen Mary 2, sickened 204 passengers and 16 crew members. On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified a new strain of norovirus behind those illnesses, and about 140 other recent outbreaks. / AP

A new strain of the norovirus stomach bug that has been sweeping the globe is taking over the United States, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday.

More than 140 outbreaks in the U.S. have been caused by the new "GII 4 Sydney" strain of norovirus since September.

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The new strain may not be unusually dangerous; some scientists don't think it is. But it is different, and many people might not be able to fight off its gut-wrenching effects.

Norovirus, once called the Norwalk virus, is easily transmittable and can be riskier for young children, the elderly and people with other medical conditions, leading to hospitalization or even death. These kinds of contagious bugs cause bouts of diarrhea and vomiting and are often spread in places like schools, cruise ships and nursing homes.

The new strain is making people sick in Japan, Western Europe, and other parts of the world. It was first identified last year in Australia and called the Sydney strain.

In the U.S., it is now accounting for about 60 percent of norovirus outbreaks, according to the CDC's report, published in the Jan. 24 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

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"The new strain spread rapidly across the United States from September to December 2012," Dr. Aron Hall an epidemiologist at the CDC's Division of Viral Diseases, said in a statement. "The proportion of reported outbreaks caused by this strain increased dramatically from 19 percent in September to 58 percent in December."

The new strain was blamed for a recent outbreak on the Queen Mary 2. During a voyage Dec 22, 2012 to Jan 3, 2013, 204 passengers and 16 crew members developed norovirus, according to the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program.

Every two or three years, a new strain evolves.The last outbreak was in 2009. The Sydney strain's appearance has coincided with a spike in influenza, perhaps contributing to the perception that this is a particularly bad flu season in the U.S. Officials said it is too soon to predict if the new strain will lead to more outbreaks than in previous years.

Ian Goodfellow, a prominent researcher at England's University of Cambridge, calls norovirus "the Ferrari of viruses" for the speed at which it passes through a large group of people.

"It can sweep through an environment very, very quickly. You can be feeling quite fine one minute and within several hours suffer continuous vomiting and diarrhea," he said.

Health officials have grown better at detecting new strains and figuring out which one is the culprit. They now know that norovirus is also the most common cause of food poisoning in the U.S.

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• Illness wanes on Queen Mary 2 cruise ship with 200 sickened passengers

It's spread by infected food handlers who don't do a good job washing their hands after using the bathroom. But unlike salmonella and other foodborne illnesses, norovirus can also spread in the air, through droplets that fly when a sick person vomits.

"It's a headache" to try to control, said Dr. John Crane, a University of Buffalo infectious disease specialist who had to deal with a norovirus outbreak in a hospital ward a couple of years ago.

Each year, noroviruses cause an estimated 21 million illnesses and 800 deaths, the CDC says.

For those infected, there's really no medicine. They just have to ride it out for the day or two of severe symptoms, and guard against dehydration, experts said.

The illness even got the attention of comedian Stephen Colbert, who this week tweeted: "Remember, if you're in public and have the winter vomiting bug, be polite and vomit into your elbow."

[Malvoux]

I am currently sick with this, and I've had the symptoms in a severe degree for about a week now. I think this may prove to be something far worse than we realize.

[mattzweck]

me and my family had it a year or so ago.

[Nate650]

I suspect the root cause is weakened immune systems due to habitual consumption of processed/industrial foods which contain unhealthy ingredients such as trans fat, high fructose corn syrup, and refined vegetable oils. The food system needs a major overhaul in order for this problem to improve. A good start would be to remove all foods from one's diet that didn't exist 100 years ago.

[Bubba_Nick]

Yah, we should, like, all go back to what they were, like, eating, like, in Europe, mid 1300's or so. Nothing like this ever happened in the old days...peace out, vegan 4-ever, yah!

[Malvoux]

I agree with you. Over time, processed foods have probably weakened us as humans as far as natural immunities goes.

[quincytodd]

This is not good news. Maybe if the government would spend more on medical research instead of the military, we might find a way to stop this epidemic!

[123-cbsnews]

These people are going on these ships over and over again, yet the same problems occur, heath concerns, terrorists, pirates, rather just drive to the Ocean or lake shore, idiots.

[lillyhorton]

GOODFELLOW. It is such a happy name. I love it.