Gyeonggi Health and Environment Research Institute: "Norovirus Patients Twice as Many in Spring as in Winter"

Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment

Gyeonggi Province has warned that norovirus, a food poisoning pathogen, occurs intensively from March to April and urged caution.

The Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment announced on the 15th that an analysis of 725 food poisoning patients in the province over the past three years showed that the number of patients with food poisoning caused by norovirus in spring (March to April) was twice as many as in winter (January to February).

According to the Institute of Health and Environment, there were a total of 248 cases of food poisoning from 2020 to 2022, of which 108 cases, or 43.5%, were confirmed to be caused by norovirus.

The 108 cases of food poisoning confirmed to be caused by norovirus resulted in a total of 725 patients, with nearly twice as many patients in March to April (237) compared to January to February (122). Although norovirus is known to mainly spread in winter, the confirmed number of patients was significantly higher in spring.

Park Yong-bae, director of the Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment, said, "There have been 20 confirmed cases of food poisoning this year, of which norovirus was detected as the causative pathogen in 15 cases," adding, "Norovirus has strong resistance and a very high transmission rate. It is important to prevent food poisoning caused by norovirus by thoroughly practicing personal hygiene such as refraining from attending school or cooking when symptomatic and washing hands."