Norovirus accounts for 18 percent of all cases of acute gastroenteritis worldwide: Study
New research published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases today shows that norovirus is associated with almost a fifth of all cases of acute gastroenteritis globally. The paper authored by scientists from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and from the Netherlands say noroviruses are a leading cause of sporadic cases and outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis across all age groups.
Researchers examined 175 studies that used PCR-based diagnostics to identify the virus in stool samples over several years and what they found was the pooled prevalence of norovirus in 187,336 patients with acute gastroenteritis was 18%.
Norovirus in community setting was slightly higher (24%), while outpatient setting were higher than inpatient setting with 20% and 17%, respectively. Norovirus was also found in as a higher percentage in developed countries (20%) versus developing countries (14%), prompting lead author, Dr. Benjamin Lopman from the CDC to say, “This highlights that norovirus, unlike bacterial and parasitic pathogens, cannot be controlled just by improved water and sanitation”.
The authors conclude that targeted intervention to reduce norovirus burden, such as vaccines, should be considered. For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page