Experts are urging the public not to worry about a norovirus outbreak in Thailand, with a prominent virologist dismissing the social media post that caused the alarm as a hoax.
In a post on Facebook on Thursday, Yong Poovorawan, the head of the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology under Chulalongkorn University, urged the public not to worry about the disease, saying the centre has been studying various forms of noroviruses for over 10 years and is well-aware of the great diversity within its class.
Norovirus outbreaks are common during the cooler months, but improved hygiene practices during the Covid-19 pandemic significantly decreased its incidence, he said.
Dr Yong said as people have become far more lax in maintaining hygiene standards, cases are starting to surge again.
Responding to claims on social media about a serious norovirus outbreak in Thai schools back in November, Dr Yong said the outbreak that the post referred to actually took place in China.
“Every winter, outbreaks [of norovirus] happen more frequently, just like rotavirus. We shouldn’t be alarmed,” he said.
On Wednesday, the Department of Health also dismissed reports about a norovirus outbreak in Rayong as “fake news”.
It said the reports — which claimed 1,436 students and teachers fell sick with a norovirus infection after participating in a sports day in early November — were untrue. It said those who fell sick were not infected by norovirus but Escherichia coli bacteria. The department urged the public not to panic as they can easily protect themselves from E.coli by maintaining hygiene.