As anyone caught up in the surge of cases of viral gastroenteritis in New South Wales will know, the illness is highly infectious. Gastroenteritis, or gastro, involves inflammation of the stomach and intestinal lining, and symptoms include nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhoea.
It’s mostly spread by symptomatic people when virus from their faeces or vomit hitches a ride on their hands, objects, food or drinks. But people can pass it on before symptoms develop or without suffering symptoms themselves.
