Drug Discovery and Development

  • Home Drug Discovery and Development
  • Drug Discovery
  • Women in Pharma and Biotech
  • Oncology
  • Neurological Disease
  • Infectious Disease
  • Resources
    • Video features
    • Podcast
    • Voices
    • Webinars
  • Pharma 50
    • 2025 Pharma 50
    • 2024 Pharma 50
    • 2023 Pharma 50
    • 2022 Pharma 50
    • 2021 Pharma 50
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE

New Study Sheds Light on Norovirus Outbreaks, May Help Efforts to Develop a Vaccine

By Infectious Diseases Society of America | November 15, 2018

Outbreaks of norovirus in health care settings and outbreaks caused by a particular genotype of the virus are more likely to make people seriously ill, according to a new study in The Journal of Infectious Diseases. Based on an analysis of nearly 3,800 U.S. outbreaks from 2009 to 2016, the research confirms several factors that can make norovirus outbreaks more severe and may help guide efforts to develop a vaccine to prevent this highly contagious disease.

Each year in the U.S., norovirus causes an estimated 19 to 21 million cases of vomiting and diarrhea, between 56,000 and 71,000 hospitalizations, and 570 to 800 deaths, with much of the disease burden falling on young children and older adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The disease spreads through direct contact with an infected person, consuming contaminated food or water, or touching contaminated surfaces.

In the new study, researchers linked, for the first time, data from a national outbreak reporting system and a laboratory surveillance network that collects data about norovirus genotypes associated with confirmed outbreaks. Their analysis, the largest of its kind, included 3,747 norovirus outbreaks affecting more than 100,000 people from 2009 to 2016. Severe outcomes, including hospitalizations and deaths, were more frequent in outbreaks caused by a specific genotype of norovirus, genogroup II type 4 (GII.4), and in outbreaks in health care settings, including hospitals, long-term care facilities, and outpatient facilities.

In a related editorial commentary that appears with the study in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, Geoffrey A. Weinberg, MD, of the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in New York, noted that research of this kind helps advance our understanding of norovirus and the outbreaks it can cause. “Their data confirm that the notion of noroviruses simply being ‘a cruise ship virus’ or an occasional foodborne winter vomiting illness is outdated,” Dr. Weinberg wrote in the commentary.

The findings confirm previous research about the severity of GII.4 norovirus outbreaks and suggest that future vaccines against norovirus should include these genotypes, said the lead author of the study, Rachel M. Burke, MPH, PhD, of CDC. The study results also suggest that targeting these vaccines for use in people in health care settings may help reduce hospitalizations and mortality associated with norovirus. Although there is no currently available vaccine that protects against norovirus, several candidate vaccines are in the development pipeline.

“Linking data from these two different sources gives us a really powerful tool, a different way to look at norovirus outbreaks in the U.S., and a better understanding of some of the interactions between what is going on with the virus versus the host versus the environment,” Dr. Burke said.


Filed Under: Infectious Disease

 

Related Articles Read More >

Secretary of Health removes all current members of the CDC advisory committee on immunization practices
covid-19 vaccine
FDA COVID booster pullback jolts vaccine stocks before gains cool
Coronavirus Covid-19 background - 3d rendering
Pregnancy associated with less long COVID: Researchers call for studies on protective biology
How technology advances are helping scientists unlock the mysteries of zoonotic diseases
“ddd
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest news and trends happening now in the drug discovery and development industry.

MEDTECH 100 INDEX

Medtech 100 logo
Market Summary > Current Price
The MedTech 100 is a financial index calculated using the BIG100 companies covered in Medical Design and Outsourcing.
Drug Discovery and Development
  • MassDevice
  • DeviceTalks
  • Medtech100 Index
  • Medical Design Sourcing
  • Medical Design & Outsourcing
  • Medical Tubing + Extrusion
  • Subscribe to our E-Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • R&D World
  • Drug Delivery Business News
  • Pharmaceutical Processing World

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search Drug Discovery & Development

  • Home Drug Discovery and Development
  • Drug Discovery
  • Women in Pharma and Biotech
  • Oncology
  • Neurological Disease
  • Infectious Disease
  • Resources
    • Video features
    • Podcast
    • Voices
    • Webinars
  • Pharma 50
    • 2025 Pharma 50
    • 2024 Pharma 50
    • 2023 Pharma 50
    • 2022 Pharma 50
    • 2021 Pharma 50
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE