Vomiting Virus in America 2026
The vomiting virus — more formally known as norovirus — is one of the most relentless and widespread illnesses circulating across the United States in 2026. Every single year, this highly contagious pathogen quietly sweeps through communities, schools, hospitals, restaurants, and cruise ships, causing millions of Americans to suffer sudden, violent bouts of vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, and stomach cramping. What makes norovirus so difficult to contain is its extraordinary resilience: it can survive on surfaces for days, withstand many common disinfectants, and is transmitted by as few as 18 viral particles — making it one of the most infectious viruses known to science. With 2026 norovirus season data now being actively tracked by the CDC’s NoroSTAT surveillance system, the picture that emerges is one of a virus firmly entrenched in American life, seasonal but never truly gone.
Understanding the real scale of the vomiting virus in the United States in 2026 matters for everyone — from parents of young children and caregivers in nursing homes, to food service workers and public health professionals. The CDC continues to report approximately 19 to 21 million illnesses caused by norovirus every year in the US, a number that has remained stubbornly consistent despite advances in outbreak tracking and food safety. In 2025–2026, norovirus outbreaks continued their well-established seasonal surge from November through April, with surveillance data from NoroSTAT-participating states tracking outbreak counts throughout the season. This article compiles the most up-to-date, government-verified statistics and key facts about the vomiting virus in America in 2026, drawn exclusively from official CDC and US government sources.
Interesting Key Facts About the Vomiting Virus in the US 2026
TOP NOROVIRUS FACTS AT A GLANCE — US 2026
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Annual Illnesses ████████████████████ 19–21 MILLION
Annual ED Visits ████ 465,000
Annual Hospitalizations ██ 109,000
Annual Deaths ▌ ~900
Annual Outbreaks ████ ~2,500 reported
Foodborne Illness Share ████████████ 58%
Economic Cost ████████ $2 Billion/year
| Fact | Key Figure |
|---|---|
| Leading cause of vomiting & diarrhea in the US | Norovirus is #1 cause of acute gastroenteritis among all age groups |
| Annual illnesses in the US | 19 to 21 million illnesses per year |
| Annual deaths in the US | Approximately 900 deaths per year, mostly adults 65+ |
| Annual hospitalizations | Approximately 109,000 hospitalizations per year |
| Annual emergency department visits | Approximately 465,000 ED visits per year, mostly young children |
| Annual outpatient clinic visits | Approximately 2,270,000 outpatient visits per year |
| Annual reported outbreaks | About 2,500 reported norovirus outbreaks per year nationally |
| Share of all foodborne illness | 58% of all foodborne illnesses in the US are caused by norovirus |
| Annual economic cost | Foodborne norovirus illness costs approximately $2 billion per year |
| Pediatric medical care visits | Nearly 1 million pediatric medical care visits annually due to norovirus |
| Peak season | Most outbreaks occur November through April |
| New strain year surge | In years when a new strain emerges, illness counts can be 50% higher |
| Minimum infectious dose | As few as 18 viral particles can cause infection |
| Cruise ship outbreaks | Norovirus is responsible for over 90% of diarrheal illness outbreaks on cruise ships |
| Long-term care facility burden | Over half of all US norovirus outbreaks occur in long-term care facilities |
| 2025–2026 season outbreaks | 907 outbreaks reported by NoroSTAT states (Aug 1, 2025 – Mar 5, 2026) |
Source: CDC, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Division of Viral Diseases
These facts paint a striking picture of just how deeply the vomiting virus is woven into the American public health landscape. The sheer volume — up to 21 million illnesses annually — means that on any given day, tens of thousands of Americans are actively sick with norovirus. The figure of 58% of all foodborne illnesses being caused by norovirus is particularly sobering, given that most people don’t associate a bout of vomiting with what they ate at a restaurant the previous day. The virus’s extremely low infectious dose — as few as 18 viral particles — helps explain why outbreaks in enclosed settings like nursing homes, cruise ships, and schools can be so explosive and difficult to control.
The economic burden of $2 billion per year from foodborne norovirus alone underscores the very real cost this virus imposes on productivity and healthcare systems. Most of that toll comes from lost workdays and healthcare expenditures — costs that disproportionately fall on hourly wage workers who cannot afford to stay home sick, creating a cycle where infected food handlers and caregivers inadvertently become vectors for new outbreaks. The 2025–2026 season data showing 907 outbreaks in NoroSTAT-reporting states through early March 2026 falls within the historical middle range, suggesting the current season, while active, is not an outlier year compared to the epidemic periods of the early 2010s.
Annual Norovirus Illness Burden in the US 2026
ANNUAL NOROVIRUS HEALTH OUTCOMES — US 2026
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Illnesses (millions)
19–21M |████████████████████████████████████████|
ED Visits (thousands)
465K |████████████ |
Hospitalizations (thousands)
109K |███ |
Deaths
~900 |▌ |
Outpatient Visits (millions)
2.27M |██████ |
(Source: CDC, cdc.gov/norovirus)
| Health Outcome | Annual Average (US) | Most Affected Group |
|---|---|---|
| Total illnesses | 19 to 21 million | All age groups |
| Outpatient clinic visits | 2,270,000 | Mostly young children |
| Emergency department visits | 465,000 | Mostly children under 5 |
| Hospitalizations | 109,000 | All ages, severe in elderly |
| Deaths | Approximately 900 | Mostly adults aged 65 and older |
| Pediatric medical care visits | Nearly 1 million | Children under age 5 and adults 85+ |
Source: CDC, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Division of Viral Diseases
The scale of the annual norovirus illness burden in the United States is difficult to overstate. With 19 to 21 million Americans falling sick from the vomiting virus every year, norovirus effectively touches more lives annually than many diseases that receive far greater media attention. What stands out in this data is the pronounced burden placed on the very young and the very old. The 465,000 emergency department visits are mostly driven by young children who become rapidly dehydrated from the combination of vomiting and diarrhea that norovirus causes. At the other end of the age spectrum, the ~900 deaths per year are concentrated overwhelmingly in adults aged 65 and older, whose immune systems and physical resilience make even a brief but severe illness genuinely life-threatening.
The 2,270,000 outpatient clinic visits annually represent an enormous burden on primary care and pediatric healthcare systems — nearly as many visits as some chronic diseases generate in a year. This figure also likely represents a dramatic undercount of true disease burden, since most people with norovirus never seek medical care at all, managing the illness at home with fluids and rest. The 109,000 hospitalizations per year highlight that this is not simply a nuisance illness for vulnerable populations — it is a genuine driver of hospital admissions, resource consumption, and in-hospital transmission chains that can trigger further outbreaks within healthcare settings themselves.
Norovirus Outbreak Statistics in the US 2026
NOROVIRUS OUTBREAKS PER SEASON (US, SELECT YEARS)
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2025–2026 (Aug–Mar) ████████████ 907 outbreaks (NoroSTAT states)
2024–2025 (Aug–Mar) █████████████████████ 2,115 outbreaks (NoroSTAT states)
Annual US avg (all) █████████████████████████ ~2,500 reported outbreaks/year
Note: NoroSTAT covers 14 participating states only; national total is higher.| Outbreak Metric | Data | Period / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual reported outbreaks nationally | Approximately 2,500 | Each year, all settings |
| 2025–2026 season outbreaks (NoroSTAT states) | 907 outbreaks | August 1, 2025 – March 5, 2026 |
| 2024–2025 season outbreaks (NoroSTAT states) | 2,115 outbreaks | Same period, prior season |
| Season range vs historical | Within middle 50% (IQR) | 2025–2026 vs 2012–2025 baseline |
| Peak outbreak months | November through April | Year-over-year consistent pattern |
| New strain surge potential | Up to 50% more illness | In years with new circulating strain |
| NoroSTAT participating states | 14 states | CO, MA, MI, MN, NE, NH, NM, NC, OH, OR, SC, TN, VA, WI |
Source: CDC NoroSTAT Data, National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS), updated February–March 2026
The 2025–2026 norovirus season outbreak data offers a nuanced picture when viewed in proper context. The 907 outbreaks recorded by NoroSTAT-participating states through early March 2026 appears substantially lower than the 2,115 outbreaks reported during the same window in the prior season — but CDC surveillance experts note this season remains squarely within the middle historical range going back to 2012, meaning it is neither an unusually quiet year nor an outbreak year. It is worth remembering that the NoroSTAT figures represent only the 14 reporting states, and the nationally extrapolated total of approximately 2,500 reported outbreaks per year represents only confirmed, reported cases — the true number of outbreak events is almost certainly far higher.
The November-to-April peak is a consistent feature of every norovirus season and is driven by a combination of factors: people spending more time indoors in close proximity, holiday gatherings bringing together different household units, and the virus’s particular stability in cold temperatures. The potential for 50% more illness in years with a new circulating strain is a critical point for public health preparedness — when a novel norovirus genotype emerges for which the population has little prior immunity, the United States has historically seen explosive national surges. The GII.4 Sydney strain has been the dominant circulating genotype worldwide since 2012, but public health agencies continue to monitor for emerging variants through the CaliciNet surveillance system.
Norovirus Outbreak Settings in the US 2026
NOROVIRUS OUTBREAK SETTINGS — SHARE OF REPORTED OUTBREAKS (US)
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Long-Term Care Facilities |████████████████████████████ >50% of all outbreaks
Food Service / Restaurants |████████████████ ~50% of food-related illness
Schools / Childcare |████████ Significant, campus closures noted
Cruise Ships |▌ ~1% of outbreaks but >90% of ship GI illness
(Source: CDC, cdc.gov/norovirus/outbreak-basics, Apr. 22, 2026)
| Outbreak Setting | Key Statistic | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Long-term care facilities & hospitals | Over 50% of all US norovirus outbreaks | Single most common setting nationwide |
| Restaurants and catered events | Norovirus causes ~50% of all food-related illness outbreaks | Infected food workers are frequent source |
| Schools, childcare, colleges | Frequent setting; outbreaks have caused campus closures | Close quarters, shared high-touch surfaces |
| Cruise ships | Norovirus causes over 90% of diarrheal illness outbreaks aboard ships | Accounts for only ~1% of all reported US norovirus outbreaks |
| Foods most commonly involved | Leafy greens, fresh fruits, shellfish (especially oysters) | Also: ready-to-eat foods handled without gloves |
Source: CDC, Norovirus Outbreaks page, last reviewed April 22, 2026
The breakdown of norovirus outbreak settings in the United States reveals a clear and consistent pattern: healthcare facilities — especially long-term care facilities like nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities — are by far the most frequently reported locations for outbreaks, accounting for more than half of all US norovirus outbreaks reported each year. This concentration reflects the dual vulnerability of the resident population (elderly, immunocompromised, or medically frail) and the structural reality that staff, visitors, and contaminated food can continuously reintroduce the virus into a contained living environment where it can persist for months. These are also the settings where the virus is most likely to cause its ~900 annual deaths.
The food service sector represents a second major outbreak vector, with norovirus responsible for approximately 50% of all food-related illness outbreaks — a figure that consistently surprises people who assume bacterial pathogens like Salmonella dominate food safety incidents. The critical risk factor here is infected food workers handling ready-to-eat foods with bare hands. Cruise ships generate disproportionate media attention, but the data puts that in perspective: they account for only about 1% of all reported norovirus outbreaks, even though norovirus causes over 90% of diarrheal illness outbreaks aboard vessels. This makes the cruise ship vomiting virus more of a media phenomenon than a dominant statistical contributor to the overall US norovirus burden.
Norovirus Impact by Age Group in the US 2026
NOROVIRUS RISK BY AGE — CUMULATIVE RISK BY AGE 5 (US)
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Will visit outpatient clinic |████████████████████████████ 1 in 7
Will visit emergency department |██████████ 1 in 40
Will be hospitalized |▌ 1 in 160
Will die from norovirus |· 1 in 110,000
(Source: CDC, cdc.gov/norovirus, May 2024 / confirmed 2026)
| Age Group | Risk / Statistic | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Children under 5 | Among most likely to visit ED or outpatient clinic | Rapid dehydration risk |
| By age 5: outpatient clinic visit | 1 in 7 children will visit an outpatient clinic | Highest utilization group |
| By age 5: emergency department visit | 1 in 40 children will visit an ED | Driven by severe dehydration |
| By age 5: hospitalization | 1 in 160 children will be hospitalized | Mostly under age 1–2 |
| By age 5: death | 1 in 110,000 children will die from norovirus | Rare but documented |
| Adults aged 65+ | Majority of the ~900 annual deaths | Frailty, comorbidities, healthcare exposure |
| Adults aged 85+ | Among most likely age group to require outpatient or ED care | Similar vulnerability to children under 5 |
| Annual pediatric medical care visits | Nearly 1 million per year | Includes ED and outpatient |
Source: CDC, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Division of Viral Diseases
The age-stratified norovirus data from the CDC offers one of the most clinically revealing windows into how the vomiting virus disproportionately burdens those at the margins of the age spectrum. The cumulative risk figure of 1 in 7 children developing a norovirus-related outpatient clinic visit by age 5 is striking — it means that in any given elementary school class, multiple children will have already had at least one medically attended norovirus illness by the time they start kindergarten. The 1 in 40 emergency department visit risk by age 5 reflects the genuine medical danger that norovirus poses for small children, who can become severely dehydrated within hours of onset and may require IV fluids in a clinical setting.
At the other end of the lifespan, adults aged 65 and older bear the mortality burden of the vomiting virus in a way that is often invisible to the general public. The ~900 annual deaths attributed to norovirus are not dramatic acute events — they are typically quiet deaths in nursing homes and hospitals, where an elderly patient who was already compromised succumbs to the dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, or aspiration pneumonia that a norovirus infection can trigger. The finding that adults aged 85 and older share a similar pattern of elevated outpatient and ED utilization with children under 5 underscores the U-shaped vulnerability curve that characterizes so many infectious diseases — and points clearly to where public health interventions need to be concentrated.
Norovirus Foodborne Illness Statistics in the US 2026
NOROVIRUS SHARE OF US FOODBORNE ILLNESS BURDEN (2026)
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All Foodborne Illness Caused by Norovirus:
██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ 58%
All Food-Related Outbreak Events Caused by Norovirus:
██████████████████████████████████████████████████ ~50%
Annual Foodborne Norovirus Economic Cost:
████████████████████████████████████████ $2 Billion/year
(Source: CDC, cdc.gov/norovirus/data-research, reviewed May 2024 / confirmed 2026)
| Foodborne Illness Metric | Norovirus Data | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Share of all US foodborne illnesses | 58% | Single largest foodborne pathogen in America |
| Share of food-related illness outbreak events | Approximately 50% | Most such outbreaks in restaurant / food service settings |
| Annual economic cost (foodborne norovirus) | Approximately $2 billion | Mainly lost productivity and healthcare expenses |
| Primary source in food service outbreaks | Infected food workers touching ready-to-eat foods | Often occurs before symptoms appear |
| High-risk foods | Leafy greens, fresh fruits, shellfish (oysters) | Also any food handled after cooking |
| Farm-level contamination | Contaminated irrigation water on fruit/vegetable crops | Oysters harvested from contaminated water |
| 2025 active FDA advisories | Multiple shellfish recalls (oysters from WA, British Columbia, Korea, Louisiana) | Ongoing food safety monitoring in 2025–2026 |
Source: CDC, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; FDA Food Safety Alerts 2025–2026
The fact that norovirus is responsible for 58% of all foodborne illnesses acquired in the United States makes it the undisputed dominant foodborne pathogen in America — yet it receives a fraction of the public awareness directed at Salmonella or E. coli. This data is worth sitting with: more than half of every food poisoning incident in the country is caused by the vomiting virus, not bacteria. The economic toll of $2 billion annually from foodborne norovirus is primarily driven by lost productivity — days missed from work, disrupted childcare, and the cascading economic effects of a workforce member suddenly incapacitated for 24 to 72 hours. Healthcare costs form the remainder, including the ED visits and hospitalizations that vulnerable populations require.
The role of infected food workers is a recurring theme in CDC outbreak investigations and represents arguably the most preventable pathway for norovirus transmission in food service settings. Workers who handle ready-to-eat foods — salads, sandwiches, fresh fruit — while actively infected or in the early pre-symptomatic phase of infection are the primary driver of restaurant-associated outbreaks. The 2025–2026 FDA shellfish advisories, which included recalls of oysters from Washington State, British Columbia, the Republic of Korea, and Louisiana, demonstrate that farm-level and harvest-level contamination remains an active and recurring food safety challenge. Shellfish, which filter-feed and concentrate viral particles from surrounding water, are among the highest-risk foods for norovirus transmission and appear repeatedly in outbreak investigations year after year.
Norovirus Surveillance Systems Tracking the Vomiting Virus in the US 2026
CDC NOROVIRUS SURVEILLANCE NETWORK — US 2026
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NoroSTAT ████████████ 14 states, monthly outbreak counts (NORS + CaliciNet combined)
CaliciNet ████████████ Genotype tracking, strain identification, national labs
NORS ████████████ National outbreak database, all settings
NREVSS ████████ Lab test positivity rates, sentinel surveillance
NVSN/NoroSurv ████ Illness burden estimates, genotype trend monitoring
(Source: CDC Norovirus Reporting & Surveillance, Jan 15, 2026)
| Surveillance System | Function | Data Type |
|---|---|---|
| NoroSTAT | Combines NORS + CaliciNet data; tracks current outbreak activity | Monthly outbreak counts; 14-state sentinel network |
| CaliciNet | Genotype identification for circulating strains | Strain-level molecular epidemiology |
| NORS (National Outbreak Reporting System) | Tracks all suspected and confirmed outbreaks | Epidemiology data across all settings |
| NREVSS | Monitors lab test positivity rates nationally | Sentinel surveillance, positivity trends |
| NREVSS Enhanced | More detailed version of NREVSS | Enhanced sentinel lab network |
| NVSN (Norovirus Vaccine Network) | Illness burden estimation | Population-level burden and genotype monitoring |
| NoroSurv | Generates annual illness estimates; monitors genotype trends | Long-term trend data |
Source: CDC, Norovirus Reporting and Surveillance, last reviewed January 15, 2026
The CDC’s norovirus surveillance architecture is among the most sophisticated pathogen-monitoring systems in US public health, and understanding how it works helps contextualize the statistics presented throughout this article. NoroSTAT, the primary near-real-time tracking tool, pulls together data from both the National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS) and the CaliciNet genotyping database, giving public health officials both a count of ongoing outbreaks and insight into which viral strains are driving them. The 14 NoroSTAT-participating states — including populous states like Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia — provide a geographically representative sentinel network, though it is important to note that the outbreak counts these states generate represent a subset of national activity.
The CaliciNet system is particularly important for early warning purposes, because shifts in the dominant circulating genotype — which have historically corresponded to the 50% surge years of elevated norovirus illness — can be detected weeks before a broader outbreak wave materializes. The emergence of new GII.4 variants has historically been the trigger for global norovirus surges, and CaliciNet gives US public health labs the tools to identify such variants in real time. Taken together, these interconnected surveillance systems mean that the 2026 vomiting virus season is being monitored more comprehensively than at any previous point in history — with data updated monthly and made publicly available on the CDC website for healthcare providers, public health professionals, and the general public to access.
Norovirus Global Context: US vs World 2026
GLOBAL NOROVIRUS BURDEN vs US 2026
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Global Annual Cases |████████████████████████████████████ 685 million
US Annual Cases |▌ 19–21 million
Global Child Deaths |████ ~50,000/year
US Annual Deaths |· ~900/year
Global Economic Cost |████████████████████████████████████ $60 billion/year
US Economic Cost |██ $2 billion/year (foodborne)
(Source: CDC, cdc.gov/norovirus/data-research)
| Metric | United States | Global |
|---|---|---|
| Annual total illness cases | 19–21 million | Approximately 685 million |
| Cases in children under 5 | Part of nearly 1 million pediatric visits annually | Approximately 200 million cases globally |
| Annual deaths | Approximately 900 (mostly 65+) | Approximately 50,000 (mostly children in developing countries) |
| Share of acute gastroenteritis cases | #1 cause in US | Approximately 1 in 5 cases of acute GE worldwide |
| Annual economic burden | Approximately $2 billion (foodborne only) | Approximately $60 billion worldwide |
| Dominant global strain since 2012 | GII.4 Sydney | GII.4 Sydney |
| Peak season (above equator) | November to April | November to April |
Source: CDC, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Division of Viral Diseases
Placing the US vomiting virus statistics against the global backdrop reveals both how universal norovirus is and how different its impact profile can be depending on a country’s healthcare infrastructure. The United States accounts for roughly 3% of the 685 million global norovirus cases estimated annually — a broadly proportionate share given population size. However, the US death toll of ~900 per year stands in stark contrast to the ~50,000 global child deaths, virtually all of which occur in developing countries where oral rehydration therapy and pediatric healthcare access are limited. In the United States, the same illness that kills a malnourished child in a low-income country can be managed at home with electrolyte drinks and rest by a healthy American child — a disparity that underscores the role of healthcare access rather than the virus itself in determining outcomes.
The global $60 billion annual economic burden of norovirus — compared to the US’s $2 billion foodborne norovirus cost — highlights how much of the worldwide impact is borne by healthcare systems ill-equipped to absorb it. The dominance of GII.4 Sydney as the primary circulating strain worldwide since 2012 has been an unusual period of strain stability; historically, new GII.4 variants emerged every 2 to 4 years, each capable of driving a new global wave. Public health authorities and vaccine researchers are monitoring this carefully, as a new dominant genotype would be expected to cause a significant surge in norovirus illnesses both in the US and globally — exactly the kind of 50% more illness year that the CDC has documented following previous strain shifts.
Disclaimer: The data research report we present here is based on information found from various sources. We are not liable for any financial loss, errors, or damages of any kind that may result from the use of the information herein. We acknowledge that though we try to report accurately, we cannot verify the absolute facts of everything that has been represented.
