"Clouding the picture is the recent emergence of a new norovirus strain - GII.17. Such a development can result in 50% more norovirus illness than typical, the CDC says. "If your immune system isn't used to something that comes around, a lot of people get infected," said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious diseases expert at UC San Francisco. During the 2024-25 winter season, GII.17 overthrew the previous dominant norovirus strain, GII.4, that had been responsible for more than half of national norovirus outbreaks over the preceding decade."
"And the rate at which norovirus tests are confirming infection is rising nationally and in the Western U.S. For the week that ended Nov. 22, the test positivity rate nationally was 11.69%, up from 8.66% two months earlier. In the West, it was even worse: 14.08%, up from 9.59%, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
Norovirus activity is increasing in California, with rising wastewater concentrations in Los Angeles County and notable increases in the San Francisco Bay Area and L.A. National norovirus test positivity rose to 11.69% for the week ending Nov. 22 and reached 14.08% in the Western U.S. Norovirus is highly contagious and is the leading cause of vomiting and diarrhea, with outbreaks usually peaking November through April. A new subvariant, GII.17, displaced the prior dominant GII.4 during the 2024–25 season, can cause roughly 50% more illness, and likely traces back to a 2021 subvariant linked to an outbreak in Romania.
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