If gastroenteritis is a classic of winter in France, it is especially the less developed countries that drink. They are in fact the most affected each year by outbreaks of gastroenteritis.
Johns Hopkins University of Medicine in Baltimore in the United States does the math in a study published in the magazine Plos One. Every year 700 million people suffer from this viral disease characterized by inflammation of the intestines caused by norovirus. The toll of these infections is heavy: it is estimated at 219,000 deaths each year in the world.
Norovirus gastroenteritis is the most common cause of epidemic gastroenteritis. The disease is highly contagious, is easily transmitted through direct contact (dirty hands, food) and is easily recognized by symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain.
In economic terms, the bill linked to noroviruses is hefty: the Americans put the cost in medical care at 4.2 billion dollars. This represents a shortfall of 60.3 billion in productivity each year.
“Infections ignored for too long”
Noroviruses are therefore not trivial and should be taken more into account by health authorities. “The costs associated with norovirus are high, higher than for many diseases including those caused by rotaviruses, which have attracted much more attention,” said Dr. Bruce Lee, assistant professor in the University’s Faculty of Medicine. Johns Hopkins, co-author of the study, reported by AFP.
“Our research presents an economic case for paying more attention to norovirus infections that have been ignored for too long,” he explains.
“In comparison, the economic burden of rotavirus, responsible for fatal diarrhea in young children but without danger beyond five years, was estimated at two billion per year before the development of an effective vaccine”, recall the researchers quoted by AFP.
To limit the risk of contamination, it is recommended to wash your hands frequently with hot water and soap several times a day.
To read also: Gastro is back, how to treat yourself?
What do you know about gastro?
What foods to eat in case of gastro?
