What to know about the ‘virus runner’ that stopped the Canada-Finland hockey game?

Doctors say Olympic officials made the right decision Thursday to postpone the Canada-Finland women’s hockey game after several players on the Finnish team came down with norovirus.

“This is a sprinter of a virus. This thing moves fast,” said Dr. Nitin Mohan, a physician and epidemiologist at Western University in London, Ontario.

“(Officials) did a very good job suspending the game, which probably prevented the spread among the Canadian team,” he said.

Here are some things to know about norovirus.

What is norovirus?

Norovirus is a common cause of gastrointestinal illness usually characterized by sudden vomiting and/or diarrhea. People often call it “stomach flu.”

“The best name from my perspective is what the British call it ‘winter vomiting disease,'” said Dr. Allison McGirr, an infectious disease specialist at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto.

how long does it last?

Most people have active gastrointestinal symptoms for 24 to 36 hours, McGirr said. In some cases, this may last up to 48 hours.

“You suddenly start vomiting and/or diarrhea. And then, you know, you don’t come out of the bathroom for six hours. And then it gets better. And then by the next day, you don’t have diarrhea or vomiting. You just feel like you got hit by a truck,” she said.

“And the day after that, you’re pretty much back to normal,” although fatigue may persist, McGirr said.

How do people get infected?

Norovirus is very contagious.

It is commonly found in stool fragments and is spread by contact with an infected person, by eating food handled by an infected person, or by touching contaminated surfaces.

Both Mohan and McGirr said people can also get it from aerosols released into the air when an infected person is vomiting.

Norovirus outbreaks are common in daycares, long-term care homes and wherever people are living in close contact with each other.

“The Olympic setting is almost ideal for the virus to spread — people in close contact, communal eating, (a) highly stressful environment (so) your immune system is suppressed,” Mohan said.

“It’s no surprise to anyone in our field that this has happened. Frankly, I’m surprised it doesn’t happen more often.”

Is there a cure for norovirus?

No, the most important thing people can do is drink fluids as they become dehydrated due to vomiting and diarrhea.

Doctors said that people cannot do anything else except rest.

For most people, norovirus is “terrible when you get it, but it will pass,” Mohan said.

McGirr said he is concerned about severe dehydration in very young children, people with compromised immune systems and older vulnerable people.

In some cases, he said, people suffering from severe dehydration may need to go to the emergency department to receive IV fluids.

In very rare cases, people who are very weak may die because dehydration upsets their salt balance, which can result in cardiovascular problems.

But this is “really unusual,” she said.

How can people prevent the spread of norovirus?

Both Mohan and McGirr said it’s important to wash hands frequently with soap and water.

Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are not as effective for norovirus as they are for other viruses, but may still have some benefits.

It is also important to use bleach to clean surfaces.

It’s also important to immediately isolate people with norovirus to prevent it from spreading to others, Mohan said, which is what the Finnish women’s hockey team did.

“Congratulations to the athletes for notifying the correct individuals to ensure the correct protocols are in place,” he said.

“I think this is a great learning opportunity for the broader public to be aware of how quickly this virus can spread.”