Debra Poletto, M.D. Emergency Services, at Tobey Hospital, spoke with Wareham Week and answered some questions about the norovirus outbreak.

What is a norovirus?

It's a virus that causes gastrointestinal symptoms including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, associated symptoms include low-grade fever, headache, and general malaise.  Some muscle aches or chills are not uncommon.

How contagious is it?

The virus is spread through exposure to a carrier or their fluids - so oftentimes, cruise ships will end up with an outbreak, or schools.  Transmission requires sharing of food or fluids, or exposure to infected body secretions. It's not airborne, but if you were cleaning up somebody's vomitus, you would want to be very careful.

The most important thing to protect from the virus is handwashing - wash your hands with soap and hot water for 15-20 seconds to protect yourself if you feel you've come in contact with the virus.

For how long are people sick?

Patients are usually sick for 1-2 days, but it comes on rather suddenly -- you feel fine, and then all of a sudden you're floored.

What is the treatment for somebody who is sick?:

There is no curative medicine for this virus, only the symptoms can be treated.  Symptoms are best treated with oral fluids; if somebody gets dehydrated, then we can treat them with intravenous fluids.

People should at home be taking fluids, and the best way to take the fluids is to take a sip every five minutes.  For children, doctors recommend a teaspoon of Pedialite every five minutes.  If they do vomit, then give them nothing for a half hour, and then a teaspoon every five minutes.  For adults, water, chicken broth, flat ginger-ale, and popsicles are good options to keep yourself hydrated.

It is a self-limited illness, however: your body will cure you of this.  The biggest risks are for those that are immuno-compromised, for instance, a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy.