Helpful Tip For Stopping Stomach Bug Spreading In Your House During Minnesota Surge

In case you didn't hear, the lovely norovirus is back and the CDC says case numbers are surging across Minnesota + Wisconsin.

Read More: CDC Says Contagious Virus Surging Across Minnesota + Wisconsin

For those who don't know what the norovirus is, you may know it by another name. A lot of people call it the flu, the stomach flu, or the stomach bug. It's not the flu. That's influenza. The norovirus is a gastrointestinal virus that causes vomiting, diarrhea, fever, chills, aches, dehydration, and other symptoms.

The sickness comes on quickly, and it will knock you out. Usually, you feel better after a couple of days, but you can still spread the disease through your stool and poor hygiene.

Parents especially have a difficult time with norovirus when their kids bring it home from school or daycare. Kids aren't always the best at getting to the bathroom in time. Messes happen, and the virus is highly contagious.

Handwashing is important, but it's not enough.

Of course, the best way to keep yourself healthy is good hand washing, using soap and warm water for thirty seconds. But what many people don't realize is that it's all for nothing if you don't do the next step.

Get rid of your cloth hand towels now!

A friend of mine who is a mom and a nurse shared how she keeps it spreading in her household. As soon as the first person gets sick, she takes all the hand towels in the bathrooms and kitchen and replaces them with disposable paper towels. Why?

If someone doesn't get all the virus off their hands and uses the handtowel, it can spread to someone else. The moisture on the towel also helps germs survive. It's a simple step and I can say it has worked for us. It's something that you may not have thought about but can save you a headache, (literally.)