can you get norovirus more than once

 

What to do if you have norovirus

If you experience sudden diarrhoea and/or vomiting, the best thing to do is to stay at home until you're feeling better.

There's no treatment for norovirus, so you have to let it run its course.

You don't usually need to get medical advice unless there's a risk of a more serious problem.

To help ease your own or your child’s symptoms drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration.

You need to drink more than usual to replace the fluids lost from vomiting and diarrhoea – as well as water, adults could also try fruit juice and soup.

Avoid giving fizzy drinks or fruit juice to children as it can make their diarrhoea worse. Babies should continue to feed as usual, either with breast milk or other milk feeds.

You can also:

• take paracetamol for any fever or aches and pains
• get plenty of rest
• use special rehydration drinks, available from community pharmacies if you have signs of dehydration, such as a dry mouth or dark urine

If you feel like eating, try plain foods, such as soup, rice, pasta and bread.

Babies and young children, especially under a year old, have a greater risk of becoming dehydrated.

When to get medical advice

You don't normally need to see your GP if you think you or your child has norovirus, as there's no specific treatment for it.

Antibiotics won't help because norovirus is caused by a virus.

Urgent advice:Speak to your GP or phone 111 if:

• your baby or child has passed 6 or more watery stools (poo) in the past 24 hours or has vomited 3 times or more in the past 24 hours
• your baby or child is less responsive, feverish, or has pale or mottled skin
• you or your child has symptoms of severe dehydration, such as persistent dizziness, only passing small amounts of urine or no urine at all, or reduced consciousness – babies and elderly people have a greater risk of becoming dehydrated
• you have bloody diarrhoea
• your symptoms haven't started to improve after a few days
• you or your child have a serious underlying medical condition, such as kidney disease, and have diarrhoea and vomiting

Your GP may suggest sending off a sample of your stool to a laboratory to confirm whether you have norovirus or another infection.