How to Handle the Norovirus Surge

A new strain of the norovirus—more commonly known as the dreaded stomach bug—could be the culprit driving a nationwide uptick in gastrointestinal sickness.

Known as GII.17, the strain has accounted for about 70% of the outbreaks in the United States this season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Locally, MedStar Health Urgent Care reports that cases are up 5% to 10% compared to last year. On Jan. 3, the Virginia Department of Health reported that “norovirus activity is elevated in the region,” while CDC data shows a 36% increase in norovirus outbreaks nationwide.

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Having the Tough Conversations About End-of-Life Planning

I didn’t watch as emergency medical technicians helped my mom onto a stretcher and took her out of the house she’d lived in for 42 years, but I knew she wasn’t coming back. Maybe that’s why, on that sunny Florida morning in June 2016, I opted to let them go while I hung back to gather my purse and keys.

That decision was one in a long line of choices I made after my mom was diagnosed with dementia in 2012. At the time of her diagnosis, she was 77 and I was 34. She was in denial and refused to discuss a care plan. I was an only child. My dad died when I was 14. My mom’s siblings were gone. All the decision-making fell to me.

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What to Know About Ultra-Processed Foods, Alcohol and Cancer

Recent headlines about links between cancer and the consumption of alcohol and ultra-processed foods arrived just in time to bolster those New Year’s resolutions, whether you’re focused on Dry January abstinence, eating better or both. But the latest health findings should be a warning to make lasting lifestyle changes, local physicians say, not just temporary ones.

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