As Hong Kong transitions into a humid Spring, norovirus, which has remained the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) globally, also proliferates4. Noroviruses are transmitted via the fecal-oral route and a small number of virions are sufficient to cause infection, making outbreaks difficult to control. Symptoms caused by norovirus are often mild and typically resolve after 2-3 days. Nonetheless, prevention of norovirus infections remains challenging due to its genetic diversity. Interestingly, this may be about to change with ongoing efforts to develop messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) based vaccines and adenovirus vectors in both adults and pediatric populations4. Notably, the key to norovirus prevention remains good hand hygiene, which curbs its spread and resilience in the community.
References:
4. Carlson KB, et al. NPJ Vaccines 2024;9(1):94.
