Leicester, MASS-- The winter is a busy time of year for school nurses.

“We have a lot of flu A, flu B, Covid, the usual,” Leicester Public Schools nurse leader Diane Moffat said. “ We do have norovirus this year.”

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health said state cases of norovoirus more than doubled in November and December compared to the year before and this month the state is already reporting nearly 450 cases. Moffat said they’re seeing cases among students.

“It is transmitted through contaminated food or drink and then, unfortunately,  through the stool and vomit of people who have it,” she said. 

Moffat said there is no test for the sickness, norovirus is determined using a patient’s symptoms.  

“It does involve a lot of stomach pains, headache, diarrhea and vomiting,” Moffat said. “Sometimes simultaneously, unfortunately.”

At Leicester High School, staff has taken steps since coming back from winter break to help keep students and staff healthy and prevent an outbreak. 

“We were very proactive when we returned from the holiday break and we shut the salad bar down and just did pre-packaged meals for our staff and students, just to hopefully curb an outbreak here,” Moffat said. 

Norovirus can stay in the body’s system for up to three weeks, so Moffat said it’s important to keep kids home when they aren’t feeling well and to practice good hand hygiene and healthy habits.  

“You have the little ones who are very tactile and oral, which can easily spread the viruses. Clean up everything if you are taking care of somebody or if you yourself have it with a bleach and water solution,” she said. “Sleep, rest, staying hydrated and eating well.”

The DPH said norovirus cases are usually the highest in February and March, something Moffat said she plans to monitor as students return from February break.  

“You see a lot of travel in February, so it really depends. It can fluctuate,” Moffat said.