Norovirus: A Looming Public Health Threat?

Given that this “stomach flu virus” makes 20 million people fall ill to it just in America alone, is the norovirus the greatest public health threat to the global restaurant industry? 

By: Ringo Bones 

Even the exemplar hygiene standards of America’s Italian restaurants – given they are statistically the least likely to give their customers food borne illnesses in a recent study – whenever that rare but inevitable food born illness incidence finally occurs, chances are it is caused by the norovirus, commonly known as the “stomach flu virus” or gastroenteritis in people. Primarily spread whenever restaurant workers still report to work even if they are sick with the virus and therefore have a full-blown infection of the virus because they badly need the money that they can’t avoid to skip reporting to work and recuperate at home just because of a bearable yet very contagious viral infection. Given the prevailing austere economic environment of America and the rest of the world, will norovirus infections in major metropolitan areas across the world likely to reach epidemic proportions sooner rather than later? 

Given the notoriety of most restaurant proprietor’s inability to compensate their workers during sick leave – even mandatorily required ones by prevailing public health codes – norovirus “stomach flu” or gastroenteritis incidences across America’s major metropolitan areas and the rest of the world could reach epidemic proportions. Making norovirus the current least discussed public health threat by policymakers. Lack of proper sick leave compensation is the very reason why the norovirus is currently very prevalent in the United State’s restaurant industry since the September 2008 global financial crisis.