Is norovirus going around right now?

Norovirus circulates year-round with winter peaks in many regions. Check CDC NoroSTAT and your state health department dashboards via our alerts and map when agencies post increases.

What are the symptoms of norovirus?

According to CDC, common symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and stomach pain. Some people also have fever, headache, or body aches.

How long does norovirus last?

Most people improve within 1 - 3 days, per CDC. You can still spread virus for a period after symptoms end - follow isolation guidance in the official notice or from your clinician.

How do norovirus outbreaks start in restaurants?

CDC describes spread via contaminated food, surfaces, or infected food workers. Investigations often trace ill staff, bare-hand contact, or contaminated ingredients - read the specific state or FDA posting for each event.

Can oysters spread norovirus?

Yes - filter-feeding shellfish can concentrate virus from contaminated water. FDA and state health departments issue advisories when harvest areas or lots are implicated. Always follow their 'do not eat/serve' lists.

When should someone seek medical care?

Contact a clinician if you have prolonged vomiting, signs of dehydration, blood in stool, high fever, or severe abdominal pain. This page is informational only.

Norovirus Outbreak Alerts, Symptoms, Food Recalls, and School/Restaurant Risk Signals

Updated 2026-10-14

foodborne

What to know right now

Norovirus is a leading cause of vomiting and diarrhea outbreaks in the U.S., especially in schools, nursing homes, restaurants, and cruise settings, according to CDC.
FDA and Washington State reported 2026 illnesses linked to certain raw oysters harvested in British Columbia - see our oyster outbreak brief and FDA advisory link.
Outbreaks spread quickly where people share close quarters; hand hygiene and staying home when sick are core prevention themes in CDC guidance.
Illness is usually short (often 1 - 3 days) but very contagious; seek care if you cannot keep fluids down or have concerning dehydration signs per clinician advice.
OutbreakThreat lists source-linked signals - open each alert for the original FDA, CDC, or state health notice.

Summaries follow official agencies (WHO, CDC, FDA, ECDC, state health departments). This is not medical advice.

Outbreak map All alerts Disease directory Map filtered to Norovirus

Why norovirus dominates outbreak headlines

According to CDC, norovirus is the leading cause of vomiting and diarrhea outbreaks in the United States. It spreads quickly in schools, nursing homes, restaurants, catered events, and cruise ships when infected people handle food or share close quarters.

Oysters and food recalls

Filter-feeding shellfish can concentrate virus from contaminated water. When FDA or state health departments name harvest areas or distributors, consumers and operators should follow those lists - not social media rumors. See our 2026 British Columbia oyster brief for a recent example with primary links.

School and restaurant settings

Outbreak investigations often trace ill food workers, contaminated surfaces, or cohort exposure in classrooms. Browse school disease alerts and restaurant outbreak alerts for related signals on our map.

Source-backed reference: Norovirus

Plain-English overview

Norovirus is a common cause of vomiting and diarrhea outbreaks linked to food service, schools, cruises, and nursing homes. Health departments post closure notices and investigation summaries.

What official signals usually mean here

A signal is usually a venue-specific advisory, inspection follow-up, or cruise line update with dates - backed by the agency URL.

How OutbreakThreat tracks it

We mirror the official notice on our map and alert index so you can open the same PDF or web page the institution cited.

Official references

Below, “Latest signals” pulls from our index only when a publisher URL is attached. Open each alert for the full notice. How we label sources.

Current outbreak signals

Each notice shows the publisher's event date and source. Geography is whatever that notice stated. Counts on this page are the number of ingested notices, not national case totals. Map: filtered map.

View this alert on the outbreak map

Use the OutbreakThreat map to explore related disease signals, official sources, and nearby alerts.

Open outbreak map

Official Statistics: National norovirus and rotavirus report, week 50 report: data to week 49 (data up to 6 December 2026) - Norovirus - UK Health Security Agency - event 2026-11-09
Official Statistics: National norovirus and rotavirus report, week 46 report: data to week 45 (data up to 8 November 2026) - Norovirus - UK Health Security Agency - event 2026-11-05
Official Statistics: National norovirus and rotavirus report, week 52 report: data to week 51 (data up to 20 December 2026) - Norovirus - UK Health Security Agency - event 2026-11-03
Official Statistics: National norovirus and rotavirus report, week 45 report: data to week 44 (data up to 1 November 2026) - Norovirus - UK Health Security Agency - event 2026-11-02
Official Statistics: National norovirus and rotavirus report, week 49 report: data to week 48 (data up to 29 November 2026) - Norovirus - UK Health Security Agency - event 2026-11-02

View all Norovirus alerts

Older active signals (still published)

Official Statistics: National norovirus and rotavirus surveillance reports: 2026 to 2027 season - Norovirus - UK Health Security Agency - event 2026-11-12
2026 Norovirus Oyster Outbreak: What the FDA and Washington State Reported - Norovirus - U.S. FDA - event 2026-10-06
Cfia: Certain Summerhill Market Brand…: Norovirus recall (2026) - Norovirus - Canadian Food Inspection Agency - event 2026-09-29
Cfia: Alasko Brand Frozen Whole: Norovirus recall (2026) - Norovirus - Canadian Food Inspection Agency - event 2026-09-15
Why Norovirus Outbreaks Can Move Quickly Through Schools, Restaurants, and Events - Norovirus - U.S. CDC - event 2026-06-27
Why Norovirus Spreads So Fast in Schools, Restaurants, and Events - Norovirus - U.S. CDC - event 2026-06-27

What it is

Foodborne pathogens can cause outbreaks linked to food or water. Agencies publish investigations and recalls.

Symptoms (general)

Common symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, or fever depending on the organism.

How it spreads

Transmission is often through contaminated food, water, or infected food handlers in outbreak settings.

Prevention (general)

Follow food safety guidance from health agencies; this site links to official notices rather than giving kitchen or medical instructions.

Related reports

Related locations

Email when new Norovirus notices match a saved place

Free covers one watch and a weekly digest. Paid plans add more watches; Family and Pro can send matches sooner. Every row still links to the original agency page.

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Related diseases

Related outbreak maps & guides

Related disease alerts

Browse source-linked notices on the alerts index filtered for Norovirus.

Common questions

Is norovirus going around right now?: Norovirus circulates year-round with winter peaks in many regions. Check CDC NoroSTAT and your state health department dashboards via our alerts and map when agencies post increases.
What are the symptoms of norovirus?: According to CDC, common symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and stomach pain. Some people also have fever, headache, or body aches.
How long does norovirus last?: Most people improve within 1 - 3 days, per CDC. You can still spread virus for a period after symptoms end - follow isolation guidance in the official notice or from your clinician.
How do norovirus outbreaks start in restaurants?: CDC describes spread via contaminated food, surfaces, or infected food workers. Investigations often trace ill staff, bare-hand contact, or contaminated ingredients - read the specific state or FDA posting for each event.
Can oysters spread norovirus?: Yes - filter-feeding shellfish can concentrate virus from contaminated water. FDA and state health departments issue advisories when harvest areas or lots are implicated. Always follow their 'do not eat/serve' lists.
When should someone seek medical care?: Contact a clinician if you have prolonged vomiting, signs of dehydration, blood in stool, high fever, or severe abdominal pain. This page is informational only.