'Winter Unwelcome Guest' Food Poisoning, How to Prevent Norovirus

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] From winter to early spring is the season when norovirus infections are prevalent. Moreover, as the winter cold is not severe, there are many cases where food prepared for the holidays is improperly stored, so health authorities are urging special caution.

According to food poisoning occurrence statistics over the past five years, norovirus infections occurred most frequently in December (11 cases, 218 people). This was followed by January (9 cases, 115 people), November (6 cases, 128 people), and February (3 cases, 29 people).

In fact, the number of norovirus infection patients reached a peak of 300 from the 29th of last month to the 4th of this month, then decreased to 263 from the 5th to the 11th, but the trend is still increasing.

Especially during the holiday period, the risk of norovirus infection is high because food that can spoil when exposed to room temperature for a long time is shared, and contact between people increases.

Norovirus food poisoning occurs when groundwater and seawater contaminated with norovirus contaminate foods such as vegetables, fruits, shellfish, and seaweed. It is also easily transmitted through direct or indirect contact with infected patients.

When infected with norovirus, symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea appear within 1 to 2 days, and abdominal pain, chills, and fever may also occur.

To prevent norovirus infection, wash hands with soap under running water for more than 30 seconds. Seafood such as oysters should be cooked thoroughly, and groundwater must be boiled before drinking. Vegetables and fruits should be washed thoroughly before eating.

Jung Eun-kyung, Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, urged, "To have a healthy holiday, personal hygiene rules such as hand washing, practicing cough etiquette, and consuming safe water and food must be followed."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.