Norovirus and Working With Food

Culinary Center

Norovirus is a very contagious virus. You can get norovirus from an infected person, contaminated food or water, or by touching contaminated surfaces. The virus causes your stomach or intestines or both to get inflamed (acute gastroenteritis). This leads you to have stomach pain, nausea, and diarrhea and to throw up.

Anyone can be infected with norovirus and get sick. Also, you can have norovirus illness many times in your life. Norovirus illness can be serious, especially for young children and older adults.

Norovirus is the most common cause of acute gastroenteritis in the United States. Each year, it causes 19-21 million illnesses and contributes to 56,000-71,000 hospitalizations and 570-800 deaths. Norovirus is also the most common cause of foodborne-disease outbreaks in the United States.

The best way to help prevent norovirus is to practice proper hand washing and general cleanliness.

Preventing Norovirus Outbreaks

Food Service Has A Key Role

It’s every manager and supervisor’s responsibility to ensure we are NOT the problem and ensure we DON’T advocate or allow a culture of working while sick to occur at our businesses.

Anyone who works with food should know about this virus.

Norovirus is the leading cause of disease outbreaks from contaminated food in the United States.

Learn about food safety practices that can help prevent these outbreaks.

The virus can easily contaminate food because it is very tiny and infective. It only takes a very small amount of virus particles (as few as 18) to make someone sick.

Foods Contaminated With Norovirus Can Make People Sick

Food can get contaminated with norovirus when:

• Infected people who have stool or vomit on their hands touch the food
• It is placed on counters or surfaces that have infectious stool or vomit on them, or
• Tiny drops of vomit from an infected person spray through the air and land on the food.

Foods can also be contaminated at their source. For example:

• Oysters that are harvested from contaminated water, or
• Fruit and vegetables that are contaminated in the field

Food Handlers With Norovirus Illness Can Spread The Virus To Others

People who have norovirus illness can shed billions of norovirus particles.
You are most contagious:

• When you are sick with norovirus illness, and
• During the first 3 days after you recover.

If you work with food when you have norovirus illness, you can spread the virus to others. You can easily contaminate food and drinks that you touch. People who consume the food or drinks can get norovirus and become sick. This can cause an outbreak.

Outbreaks of norovirus illness occur in nursing homes, hospitals, restaurants, cruise ships, schools, banquet halls, summer camps, and even at family dinners. These are all places where people often eat food handled or prepared by others.

About 70% of all outbreaks of food-related illness are caused by norovirus. In many of these cases, sick food handlers were involved in spreading the virus. Foods commonly involved in outbreaks:

• Leafy greens (such as lettuce)
• Fresh fruits
• Shellfish (such as oysters)

Any food served raw or handled after being cooked can get contaminated.

Outbreaks of norovirus illness occur in nursing homes, hospitals, restaurants, cruise ships, schools, banquet halls, summer camps, and even at family dinners. These are all places where people often eat food handled or prepared by others.

Norovirus is the leading cause of illness and outbreaks from contaminated food in the United States, Most of these outbreaks occur in the food service settings like restaurants.

Infected food workers are frequently the source of the outbreaks, often by touching ready-to-eat foods, such as raw fruits and vegetables, with their bare hands before serving them. However, any food served raw or handled after being cooked can get contaminated with norovirus.

Norovirus outbreaks can also occur from foods, such as oysters, fruits, and vegetables that are contaminated at their source.

Ways that Food Workers Can Help Prevent Norovirus from Spreading

Food workers can follow some simple tips to prevent norovirus from spreading:

• Avoid preparing food for others while you are sick and for at least 48 hours after symptoms stop
• Wash your hands carefully and often with soap and water
• Rinse fruits and vegetables and cook shellfish thoroughly
• Clean and sanitize kitchen utensils, counters, and surfaces routinely
• Wash table linens, napkins, and other laundry thoroughly

Norovirus: Facts for Food Handlers

Norovirus is a highly contagious virus. It can make you very sick with diarrhea, throwing up, and stomach pain. Anyone who works with food should know about this virus

Five Tips to Prevent Norovirus From Spreading

1. Practice proper hand hygiene
   Always wash your hands carefully with soap and water— after using the toilet and changing diapers, and before eating, preparing, or handling food.
   Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can be used in addition to hand washing. However, they should not be used as a substitute for washing with soap and water.
2. Wash fruits and vegetables and cook seafood thoroughly
   Carefully wash fruits and vegetables before preparing and eating them. Cook oysters and other shellfish thoroughly before eating them. Be aware that noroviruses are relatively resistant. They can survive temperatures as high as 140°F and quick steaming processes that are often used for cooking shellfish. Food that might be contaminated with norovirus should be thrown out.
3. When you are sick, do not come to work and do not prepare food for others
   You should not prepare food for others while you are sick and for at least 2 to 3 days after you recover. This also applies to sick workers in schools, daycares, healthcare facilities, and other places where they may expose people to norovirus. Many local and state health departments require that food handlers and preparers with norovirus illness not work until at least 2 to 3 days after they recover. Tell your manager if you have symptoms of norovirus illness or if you were recently sick. Keep sick infants and children out of areas where food is being handled and prepared.
4. Clean and disinfect contaminated surfaces
   After throwing up or having diarrhea, immediately clean and disinfect contaminated surfaces. Use a chlorine bleach solution with a concentration of 1000–5000 ppm (5–25 tablespoons of household bleach [5.25%] per gallon of water) or other disinfectant registered as effective against norovirus by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
5. Wash laundry thoroughly
   Immediately remove and wash clothes or linens that may be contaminated with vomit or stool (feces). You should:
   Handle soiled items carefully without agitating them
   Wear rubber or disposable gloves while handling soiled items and wash your hands after
   Wash the items with detergent at the maximum available cycle length then machine dry them

What is the Right Way to Wash Your Hands?

1. Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold) and apply soap.
2. Rub your hands together to make a lather and scrub them well; be sure to scrub the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
3. Continue rubbing your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
4. Rinse your hands well under running water.
5. Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.

For More Information Visit CDC’s Norovirus Web site at www.cdc.gov/norovirus

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