Publication date: Jul 17, 2024

There were 108 norovirus-positive outbreaks in 2022, with 45 (41. 7%) occurring during the first quarter (Q1), January-March. Aged care facilities accounted for 44. 4% of norovirus-positive outbreaks; 43. 5% were in childcare settings. Overall, the GII. P31/GII. 4 genotype was the most common, involved in 39. 4% of outbreaks; however, there were shifts in the most common genotype across the year. In Q1, the GII. P31/GII. 4 genotype accounted for 73. 3% of typed outbreaks, but by Q3 (July-September) the GII. P7/GII. 6 was the most prominent genotype at 45. 0%. In Q4 (October-December), the dominant genotype had changed again to GII. P16/GII. 4 (52. 6%). While the incidence of norovirus outbreaks in 2022 was average regarding overall prevalence and genotype diversity, there are still ongoing effects from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in relation to seasonality, outbreak demographics and specimen referral.

Semantics

Original Article