Stomach illness is rising in New York City. The numbers of New Yorkers visiting hospital emergency rooms due to vomiting or diarrhea have risen about 50% from December to mid-February, according to the city health department’s EpiQuery data portal.
The most likely culprit is norovirus, a common intestinal germ that spreads easily through food and person-to-person contact. But city, state and federal officials can’t say for sure.
Health experts said that’s because norovirus is poorly tracked, even though it’s estimated nationally to cause billions of dollars in annual economic losses due to missed work and school.
