What is it about?
Older veterans with multiple comorbid conditions were at increased risk of hospitalization and mortality following a norovirus-positive test, compared with those testing negative.
Featured Image
Photo by Nik on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Each year, norovirus is estimated to cause approximately 900 deaths and 109,000 hospitalizations in the United States, Strengthening the evidence base for the association of laboratory-confirmed norovirus with severe morbidity outcomes will help guide norovirus prevention, testing, treatment, and control efforts, in particular guiding future norovirus vaccination policy decisions.
Perspectives
While norovirus infection is generally considered a mild acute illness, our findings highlight that severe outcomes can be associated with norovirus infection. Clinicians treating older patients with norovirus should be aware of these elevated risks, particularly in vulnerable patients with multiple comorbid conditions and those living in congregate settings, such as nursing homes.
Dr. Cynthia Lucero-Obusan
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Risk of Hospitalization and Mortality Following Medically Attended Norovirus Infection—Veterans Health Administration, 2010–2018, Open Forum Infectious Diseases, November 2023, Oxford University Press (OUP),
DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofad556.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
