The number of norovirus cases is increasing across the US, but there are ways to reduce your chances of infection and stave off dehydration and other symptoms.

Norovirus tends to come on hard and fast. “Nausea and or vomiting are usually the first symptoms of norovirus,” says infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, MD, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

Norovirus Cases: Amid the plummeting temperature, there is a spike in Norovirus across the United States. Also, known as the “winter vomiting bug”, norovirus is a highly contagious virus that spreads through contaminated surfaces, food and water, and close contact with infected people.

Norovirus is known to cause some pretty nasty symptoms, but there are steps you can take to stay healthy and things you can do to feel better if you do get sick. Here’s what to

If there’s one thing you don’t want to endure, it’s the symptoms of norovirus, a brutal stomach bug that tends to cause relentless diarrhea and vomiting for roughly one to three hellish days. And it may be especially difficult to avoid right now,