Beware Of Intestinal Infection Due To Norovirus From China

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JAKARTA - The Chinese Health Authority recently announced a new extraordinary incident (KLB) caused by Norovirus which attacks the digestive organs.

"This virus is actually not a new virus. Norovirus is one of the main causes of acute intestinal infection (gastroenteritis) worldwide," said Professor at the Department of Internal Medicine FKUI-RSCM, Ari Fahrial Syam through a press release received in Jakarta, Antara, Monday, October 19

Ari said, this virus has also begun to appear in Indonesia, as reported by Indonesian researchers in the Journal of Medical Virology in May. The study showed that of the 91 stool samples examined, 14 samples or 15.4 percent contained Norovirus.

"The research sample, which was conducted in early 2019, was taken from several hospitals in the city of Jambi. The same case has also been reported from several cities in Indonesia," said Ari.

In contrast to the SARS-Cov-2 virus, this Norovirus is transmitted through food or the term used by food borne .

Ari further explained that in general the symptoms that arise when a person experiences food poisoning include fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.

"This clinical symptom also appeared in the Norovirus extraordinary incident that occurred in China, to be precise in the Shanxi Province," said Ari.

Clinical symptoms arising from this virus can occur within 24 hours after consuming contaminated food.

Based on data received from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 30 extraordinary events have occurred since September 2020 and involved 1,500 cases, mainly reported to be transmitted through the canteen due to contaminated food.

"Norovirus is not a new virus and can be found in many countries, usually starting from restaurants whose food is contaminated by Norovirus and finally an extraordinary event occurs due to many restaurant customers being infected," said Ari.

According to Ari, the effort that needs to be done to prevent outbreaks due to this virus is the quality of food that must be maintained, whether provided by restaurants, canteens or in households.

In addition, people must always wash their hands regularly with soap.

"Until now, the principle of handling if infected by this virus is to provide drugs to relieve symptoms of illness and prevent dehydration due to vomiting and diarrhea. Replacing foods with softer ones such as porridge and avoiding eating spicy and fatty foods," said Ari.