Norovirus cases are up across the U.S., including in Arizona right now.
Dr. Moneesh Bhow is medical director of the emergency department at Banner University Medical Center - Phoenix. He said the hospital has been busy the last few weeks with patients with gastrointestinal symptoms.
“Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, cramping, fever. So we’ve been seeing a lot of it,” Bhow said.
Last month, the Maricopa County Department of Public Health tracked six outbreaks of gastrointestinal viruses in senior care facilities. That compares to just two outbreaks in the same timeframe the year before.
And the department says there were 942 lab-confirmed norovirus cases in Maricopa County in 2024 – more than a 50% increase over 2023 and more than double the number of cases reported in 2022.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nationwide, nearly a quarter of recent lab tests for norovirus have turned up a positive case – the highest positivity rate in at least six years.
Norovirus and similar stomach bugs are highly contagious so Bhow said if you do get sick, it’s important to stay home and avoid contact with others.
Bhow said these illnesses typically pass within one or two days and may not require treatment. But he said, some cases warrant a visit to the emergency room.
“If you’re not able to keep anything down, you’re feeling dehydrated, your lips and your tongue are very dry, you're not urinating as much, you’re feeling very weak, your pulse is getting high, those are all reasons why you should seek medical attention,” Bhow said.
-
The recent indictment of 48-year-old Maurice Williams says he owned and ran a behavioral health treatment center in Phoenix. -
Animal hoarding and neglect cases are on the rise, according to the Arizona Humane Society. It’s one reason why the state’s largest animal shelter reopened a trauma hospital at its Sunnyslope location in Phoenix. -
Roselyn Tso is the former director of the Indian Health Service, which is responsible for providing health care to Native Americans and Alaska Natives. -
That's especially true in the Mountain West. In most states, if one delivery unit shuts down, the next closest one is more than an hour away. -
More than 30,000 refugees, asylees and other legally present immigrants in Arizona could lose health coverage in a few weeks as new Medicaid eligibility rules take effect.
