“There are a lot of them at the moment”: gastro is making a comeback this winter

Gastroenteritis is making a comeback this winter and the virus is partly responsible for the overcrowding of emergency rooms in recent weeks.

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“There are a lot of them at the moment,” remarks the D^r Gilbert Boucher, president of the Association of Emergency Medicine Specialists of Quebec (ASMUQ), about the symptoms of gastroenteritis, frequently caused by norovirus.

Moreover, the Public Health Agency of Canada confirms an increase in reported cases of norovirus, from Nova Scotia to British Columbia, “at a higher frequency than the historical average of the previous five years (2019-2023 )”.

This is preliminary data from the National Enteric Disease Surveillance Program. The Agency maintains that the increase comes after years of lull linked to the pandemic.

In Ontario, Guelph University currently has nearly 200 students suffering from gastroenteritis following a norovirus outbreak.

In Quebec, neither the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) nor the National Institute of Public Health (INSPQ) monitors cases of gastroenteritis.

The D^r Gilbert Boucher maintains that patients are not automatically tested for this type of virus, but symptoms, such as diarrhea and vomiting, have been numerous in the province’s emergency rooms since mid-December.

Pediatric infectious disease specialist at the Montreal Children’s Hospital Jesse Papenburg also confirms that cases there are frequent.

The CIUSSS de la Mauricie-et-du-Centre-du-Québec also published a guide to treating yourself at home, seeing an increase in symptoms of gastroenteritis in emergency rooms and in online searches on its website.

Resistant and unpleasant

“The virus is very resistant in the environment,” explains the D^r Raymond Tellier, specialist in infectious diseases at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center.

And if gastroenteritis is an “extremely unpleasant” illness, it usually remains short-lived, i.e. 24 to 48 hours, and without after-effects.

“The danger is dehydration,” he says.

This is why the D^r Boucher reminds sufferers to take small amounts of fluid frequently, 5 to 10 ml, rather than waiting several hours before drinking.

How to protect yourself?

• Wash your hands often, with running water and soap
• Be careful of contacts, gastroenteritis is transmitted through contact with an infected person or through indirect contact with contaminated objects (food, utensils, door handles, toys)
• Use a bleach-based disinfectant (one part bleach to nine parts water)

“The virus is not affected by most disinfectants, such as alcohol-based hand sanitizers,” says Dr.^r Raymond Tellier.