You feel fine. You just got home from work or school and are looking forward to a meal.

But there's a tiny little niggle that starts in your stomach and evolves into a full-blown pest.The smell of your dinner isn't quite so appetizing anymore.Suddenly, that pesty niggle is a full-blown cramp and you find yourself running to the bathroom, hoping you can make it in time.You find yourself hugging that porcelain throne.You have the gastrointestinal flu, which isn't a flu at all, but a virus caused by germs.Although cruise ship outbreaks generate the most headlines, you don't have to be on a cruise ship to come down with a case of the dreaded norovirus.Just ask the one hundred plus students at East Stroudsburg University, who found themselves in medical centers and hospitals last week.What is it?According to Dr. Jeffrey A. Jahre, senior vice president of Medical and Academic Affairs/Section Chief of Infectious Diseases for St. Luke's University Health Network, "Norovirus is the most common form of gastroenteritis."Symptoms include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, stomach pain, a general feeling of tiredness, headache, muscle aches and in some cases, a low-grade fever."In most cases, the virus is short lived and the patient recovers in one or two, sometimes three days. It's been called many names, including 'Winter Vomiting Disease,' which describes it perfectly," Jahre said.Jahre says it is highly contagious and easily passed from person to person, either through infected food, direct or even indirect contact with an infected person."Billions of norovirus particles can be found in the stools of an infected person. It takes 18 of those particles to infect someone else. So, the number of particles that can be found on the head of a pin can potentially infect 1,000 people."Outbreaks easily occur in places where people gather together schools, churches, work places, day care centers.The biggest health risk is to young children, the elderly and anyone with a weakened immune system and comes from the possibility of dehydration. Patients may experience great thirst but are unable to keep down any fluids, leaving them unable to replace the fluids lost through vomiting and diarrhea.Severe cases require hospitalization, where patients receive fluids through an IV.Although it's not thought of as a fatal disease, norovirus can be a contributing factor in someone with an underlying illness, or the very young or elderly, as dehydration could lead to kidney failure.While the virus has a short incubation period, usually 12 to 48 hours after contact, the germs are very hardy and can lives for days or weeks on surfaces, including clothing. A person can be contagious before the symptoms appear and for weeks after they are gone."Norovirus is responsible for 20 million cases of gastroenteritis a year," says Jahre."Most are not reported to health care officials, unless they are related to an outbreak. It's possible to contract the virus all year, but it's most common in the winter months. If you have it, you'll know it. It's not subtle, hits you like a ton of bricks."Local casesBMHS health care professionals haven't seen an influx of patients with norovirus."That's not to say there haven't been any possible individual cases, but it's hard to gather specific information because of the many reasons that can cause GI symptoms," said Lisa Johnson, vice president of public relations and marketing.St. Luke's officials also haven't had any reports of outbreaks in our area, but Jahre says that many victims don't go to the hospital."I'm confident our doctors see norovirus as an almost daily occurence in their individual practices."Sure enough, people weighed in on the Times News Facebook that they were "blessed" with the illness.Ellie Kromer wrote, "It came out of nowhere. I couldn't really eat anything for three days, but stayed hydrated with water and Gatorade."Holly Rivera said, "Five days for my one school-aged child. Bleached and hand washing to keep everyone else safe. Just force fluids and lots of them.And then there's the contagious aspect.Kimberley Arnold said, "My youngest daughter had it and then slowly the whole house came down with it. I had it next, then my oldest daughter, husband and middle daughter. My son was the only one it escaped. My neighbor even got it when he popped in for a few minutes one day and it went through his whole house. It's nasty but nothing a doctor could do for it."PreventionThe best way to prevent a norovirus outbreak is to use good hand hygiene and avoid contact with an infected person and their environment. That's easier said than done. There is no cure or vaccine.An entire classroom, cafeteria or work place could be filled with germs before anyone has their first symptom.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends routine hand washing with soap and water rather than using hand sanitizers, whenever possible, although alcohol-based hand sanitizers are better than nothing.Jahre recommends not just washing your hands, but using a nail brush as the germs could lurk under fingernails.Once the virus rears its ugly head, possible contaminated surfaces should be sanitized with a solution of bleach and water or spray disinfectants.Jahre says, "The norovirus is the common cold of the stomach. Even with taking precautions, you may not be able to avoid it. It's not a sterile world."