The norovirus survival kit you should buy before you get sick

Norovirus cases are on the rise in the US, with the latest CDC data showing a sharp increase in cases compared to this time last year.

Instead of waiting until you’re curled up on the bathroom floor and frantically sending a DoorDasher to get supplies, it might be smart to stock up on some digestive essentials ahead of time.

Dr. Bruce Hirsch, an infectious disease specialist at Northwell Health, has shared his norovirus survival kit to get it before it’s too late.

Norovirus most commonly causes severe vomiting and diarrhea, but it can also cause body aches, headaches, and fever—and it only takes a small amount of exposure to get sick.

“The symptoms are intense, terrible,” said Dr. Hirsch for The Post. “Norovirus is very sneaky, and the best way to deal with norovirus is to not get it in the first place.”

Unfortunately, those hand sanitizers won’t do you much good against this virus—the doctor says soap and water is a better way—and the people around you may still be contagious for a while after they start feeling better. .

Symptoms usually come on suddenly and take one to three days to recover—and while you’re struggling, you probably won’t want to go to the store to get supplies.

If you’re feeling healthy now, it might be a good time to hit the store for supplies.

I have had people complain of having diarrhea and vomiting at the same time

Dr. Bruce Hirsch

Treatment recommendations

Believe it or not, Dr. Hirsch advises skipping the medication.

“What’s complicated about norovirus is that there are no drugs that help, there are no treatments other than hydration,” he said. “There is nothing I can get from the pharmacy aisle before an illness.

“Some of the symptomatic treatments like Imodium and anti-nausea drugs like Zofran tend to be overlooked because the symptoms are relatively short-lived,” he continued. “As horrible as they are, they tend to clear up after a day, two or so.”

Instead, the most important thing you can have is an electrolyte drink — and lots of it: “The absolute priority is hydration, and Pedialyte and sports drinks like Gatorade are helpful to have at home.”

As a safer bet, electrolyte drinks like Pedialyte are also sold in tablet and powder form that can be dissolved in water.

If it’s too late and you don’t have any, a combination of sugar and salt can work in a pinch. The doctor recommends Jell-O for sugar and broth for salt—or if you’re really desperate, sprinkle some salt into a glass of juice.

Food you can stomach

It’s nice to have food on hand that you’ll be able to hold onto for a while once you can manage it, and “soft” is the name of the game.

“Our ability to digest and absorb food during and immediately after a norovirus attack is reduced by the fact that the small intestine is inflamed and dysfunctional, and the hardest thing to digest under these circumstances is fat,” said Dr . Hirsch.

Simple carbs like rice and pasta — without oil and butter — are your best bets. MD also likes to have chicken or vegetable broth, fruit juices, and cereal.

But be careful about dairy, even if you’re not normally lactose intolerant – some people experience “acquired lactase deficiency” for a period of time after a diarrheal illness.

“The body will tell you what it can’t take and what it wants,” he said.

A bowl and a goal

The doctor says it’s important to have a “vomit and poop plan.” That is, know that you have a bathroom that you will be able to easily set up shop in for the next day or two.

But having a toilet that’s all yours for the next 24 to 48 hours might not be enough if it comes out both ways.

“I’ve had people complain that they have diarrhea and vomiting at the same time,” the doctor said. So having a bowl, basin, or bucket that you can dump into while sitting down can help eliminate the need to clean up a big mess later.

Cleaning in the sick corridor

If you live with other people, the last thing you want is to make the rest of the family sick every time you start to feel better. Enter bleach.

Dr. Hirsch says to dilute it and thoroughly clean the bathroom — and anything else you or the sick person came into contact with.

He also noted that immunocompromised people, including the young and the elderly, shed viruses much longer, so you’ll want to clean up around them for an extended period of time.