After a Wyandotte middle school closed its doors earlier this week due to a "potential norovirus outbreak," concerns over whether cases of the illness are on the rise are ringing alarm bells, especially as we gear up for the start of the holiday season.
Detroit Medical Center infectious disease physician Dr. Lea Monday says that move was essential in stopping the spread of what she calls an easy-to-spread but harder-to-stop illness.
"It's just so easy to spread to each other that the best and safest thing to do is to say, 'Hey, everyone, let's take a break. Everyone go home and monitor themselves,'" said Monday.
"When a child is sick in school and they may be having diarrhea or vomiting, prior to knowing they're ill, it's very easy for many kids in the class to potentially also get sick, and then their families and other siblings at home might start to feel ill as well."
Commonly called the "stomach flu," norovirus is a contagious infection that can cause inflammation of the stomach.
While not tied to the influenza virus, the symptoms can come on fast and fierce, with sufferers battling nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, headache and body aches, all within 12 hours to two days after exposure.
"It comes down quite suddenly. The person might feel slightly nauseous, and within 2 hours, they may begin vomiting multiple times. So, it's fairly miserable to have," said Monday.
In its weekly report released on Nov. 15, the Michigan Disease Surveillance System noted 64 confirmed cases of norovirus across the state over the last month.
With concerns of a potential national outbreak on the rise, Monday says people should not be scared but instead focus on doing all they can to stay healthy ahead of holiday gatherings - including washing their hands, wiping down surfaces, not handling food if they feel sick, and staying home, if at all possible.
"When we're congregating together and staying warm, we tend to see more cases in the winter. So, this is not out of the norm. This is not necessarily a cause for alarm; it's something we see every year," said Monday.
One way the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services monitors norovirus activity is through wastewater data. State health officials say that although some wastewater sewer sheds have seen an increase in norovirus wastewater levels, those levels have been lower than previous peaks, like in early 2025.
CBS News Detroit reached out to Wyandotte Public Schools to hear how it is handling the reopening of Wilson Middle School, and is waiting to hear back.