Midstate Chamber: No Time To Let Your Guard Down: Stomach Bug Strikes As Coronavirus Declines

Meriden CT

21 April, 2022

3:56 PM

Description

Press release from the Midstate Chamber of Commerce: April 10, 2022 Just when we seemed to catch a break with COVID-19 on the decline, Hartford HealthCare doctors are seeing an uptick in flu, common cold and "stomach bugs," said HHC Director of Infectious Disease Ulysses Wu. A stomach bug going around now in Connecticut is of particular concern, causing severe vomiting and diarrhea in people for several days. While those unlucky enough to catch it may refer to it as a stomach bug or the stomach flu, what they are actually experiencing is probably gastroenteritis - the second most common illness in the U.S., according to the National Library of Medicine. Gastroenteritis, which causes the stomach and intestines to be inflamed, is caused by a viral infection, which means there is no real treatment. And unlike the rise in common cold and flu, there is no connection between the lessoning of COVID restrictions like masking and the spike in cases, because it is not a respiratory disease, Dr. Wu said. But it is highly contagious and spreads from person to person through contact or surfaces, and if a person becomes dehydrated it can be deadly. This press release was produced by the Midstate Chamber of Commerce. The views expressed here are the author's own.