What causes viral gastroenteritis in CCFs?
Many different viruses can cause gastroenteritis, including rotaviruses and noroviruses; however, noroviruses are the cause of the majority of these outbreaks. Although the symptoms may be similar, viral gastroenteritis is not caused by bacteria (such as Salmonella or E. coli) or parasites (such as Giardia), or by medications or other medical conditions. What are the signs and symptoms of viral gastroenteritis? The main symptoms of viral gastroenteritis are watery diarrhea and vomiting. The affected person also can have a headache, fever, nausea and abdominal cramps (“stomach ache”). In general, the symptoms begin 1 to 2 days following infection and may last for 1 to 10 days, depending on which virus causes the illness. In general, with norovirus, children experience more vomiting than adults. How is viral gastroenteritis spread? Noroviruses are spread when material contaminated by feces or vomit from an infected person is ingested. Noroviruses are extremely infectious. The viruses can
