This Season's Biggest Bug May Be a Stomach Virus Dubbed the "Winter Vomiting Disease"

Winter typically means the return of cold and flu season. However, there's another germ that keeps popping up in doctors' offices and hospitals around the country, and it's giving people more than a case of the sniffles. According to health experts, there is a rise in the highly contagious winter vomiting disease, and it seems to be hitting people earlier in the season than it has in the past.

And while the name is a bit of a misnomer — the virus causes more than just vomiting — people can't seem to stop talking about it. Worried that your next winter bug may end up being winter vomiting disease? Keep reading to find out what it is, what causes it, how it's treated, and perhaps most importantly, how you and your family can avoid catching it in the first place.

Spoiler alert: It's all about keeping up on personal hygiene and avoiding those who already have it.

The official name of the virus striking fear into the hearts of anyone who loathes being laid up with a stomach bug is actually much shorter: Norovirus. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that we typically see a spike in cases of norovirus after Christmas and New Year's, which is explained by the fact that more people are spending time together in close proximity during the holidays.

However, Newsweek reports that 2025's seasonal spike came a bit early.

Instead of waiting until the holidays were over, hospitals began seeing a spike in cases right at the end of November, which may mean that more than just turkey and stuffing were shared over Thanksgiving.

And it's likely that the spike is higher than experts are able to track, since most people will only have mild cases of the illness, and therefore, are unlikely to get tested. However, the increase in early cases, as well as info from last year's virus count, has experts worried.

"There are some signs that another big norovirus season is ahead of us," professor of epidemiology and director of the Emory Center for Infectious Disease Modeling and Analytics and Training Hub at Emory University, Ben Lopman told Newsweek, who noted that the high activity levels this early in the season are unusual for a virus that peaks in January.

But that doesn't mean anyone needs to panic. Most cases of norovirus are mild, and many people may not even realize they have the illness.

Norovirus can present with a few different symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic, and they include:

• Low-grade fever
• Muscle pain
• Nausea and vomiting
• Watery or loose stool
• Stomach pain or cramps

Most people will begin to experience symptoms within a day or two of exposure, and then those symptoms tend to resolve within three days. However, those who are experiencing especially severe vomiting or diarrhea may require extra medical care in order to avoid dehydration.